WITCH Season 6: United
by HeartofMeridian
Summary: The war is over. Meridian and Earth are safe once more. The girls are battered, bruised, but not beaten. But as forces unlike any they have ever seen are unleashed, the universe crumbles around them. To save everyone, they must risk everything. Directly follows the events of W.I.T.C.H Season 3,4 and 5
1. Prologue

As night began to fall upon Heatherfield, the city lights began to rise. Like twinkling stars, each one seemed to shine brighter then the last, coating the streets and buildings in a blanket of light. But one light, barely noticeable to the untrained eye, moved swiftly through the concrete jungle. Its mind, if it had one, was determined to reach its destination, and nothing would sway it from its path.

Down streets and over buildings it soared, until it began to slow and waver. Its goal was near, that much it could tell, but where exactly? Slowly but surely, it began circling first a street, then a building, then an apartment, and then a room. With caution, it silently passed through the window, and found a young girl sitting alone on her bed, a book in her hands. Sneaking carefully around the edges of the walls so as not to disturb the girl, the light moved into position. With a dash, it landed on the girl's forehead, and the melding process began.

The light met resistance. There was power in this girl, it could tell. The same power that had drawn it in was now forcing it out. But the light had had millennia to consolidate its own force, and would not be denied. Even as the girl's inner strength wavered, it found other methods of defense. A loud, shrill came from the girl's mouth, but it was not in any language the light understood. There were others, however, who did.

Just as victory seemed inevitable for the strange visitor, the doorway of the room burst open and three more creatures appeared. One was a small, black animal, covered in fur, which the light deemed to be no threat. Another, with short hair, brown like dirt, stood in stunned surprise at the scene before her, while a golden haired human leaped forward. In a reflex, the light repelled the intruder, and continued its mission. The presence of these new creatures had given the girl renewed fight, and the struggle would not soon be over.

The golden haired woman was now disposed of, and victory once again seemed inevitable, if not lengthy for the light. However, the second woman, who up to know had just been spouting meaningless gibberish, began her attack. As the woman leapt on the bed and lunged at her foe, the light once more instinctively began to defend itself. This time the result was much different.

As the second girl with the dirt-like hair was reflected backwards, a wave of pain shot through the light creature. Waves of agony rolled over its incandescent form, forcing it to dislodge from the young girl. It lashed out at the source of its pain, but every contact with the brown haired girl merely added layers of agony. Finally and reluctantly, it fled the scene, drifting through the window as silently as it had come. There would be others for it to find, ones with less powerful protectors. And then nothing would stand in its way.


	2. Hitting Home

W.I.T.C.H Season 6

Chapter 1

Hitting Home

**Author's Note:**** Hello once again, and welcome to W.I.T.C.H Season 6. I know it's been a while, and I thank you for your patience while apologizing for the wait. I will try my best to keep the updates regular and plentiful. For those new to my stories, Season 6 follows the events of Seasons 3,4 and 5. Without reading those, not a lot that happens here will make too much sense, so I encourage you to give them a shot. As mentioned at the end of Season 5, Season 6 will be the final season. So get comfortable, and let's begin one more time…**

Heatherfield

Cornelia leaned back, took a deep breath, and stretched her arms along the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of letting her body go limp, something she hadn't been able to do for a very long time. She knew in the back of her mind that she had no right to be so relaxed, not with the state her life was in, but she repressed those feelings easily. For this day at least, there were no monsters, no armies and no ancient warriors to deal with. The world, galaxy, and the universe were all safe. At least for the time being.

However, along with relaxation came the tingling sensation of boredom nipping at the back of her mind. Her parents were out for the night, treating themselves to a night on the town, and Cornelia had finally been deemed old enough to watch Lillian by herself. Her charge was currently reading in her room, and Napoleon was napping quietly in the last rays of the setting sun, leaving very little for Cornelia to do. Normally she would have taken the opportunity to head to Meridian, but Elyon and Caleb had advised her to take a week off, something she cheerfully agreed with. As such, she was almost glad when the doorbell interrupted her tranquil state.

"Irma?" Cornelia said, swinging open the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too." Irma said with a glare.

"Alright, how are you?" Cornelia replied with an emphatic sigh.

"Meh."

"Meh? You're Irma! I didn't think you ever got below happy." Cornelia said.

"What can I say? All this Guar… Any one home?" Irma said, catching herself.

"Only Lillian in her room, so you're fine. Come on in." Cornelia said, clearing the way.

"All this Guardian stuff recently, with Balsilide and everything else, it's got me kind of…"

"Down? Sad? Depressed?" Cornelia offered.

"I didn't say that." Irma said defensively. "More like… restless? I dunno, like, I've got all these problems and there's nothing I can do about it. It's frustrating."

"I sympathize." Cornelia said, grabbing a drink from the fridge. "But if you don't mind me asking, why come to me? Surely Will, or Taranee, or Hay Lin would be easier to talk to. I'm pretty perfect, but even I'll admit I'm not the best listener."

"Oh, so you do have a flaw." Irma said as Cornelia sat beside her. "Normally I would talk to the others, but you…"

"Yeah?"

"You're the only one who doesn't think I'm funny." Irma finished.

Cornelia paused for a moment to take a drink, giving Irma a suspicious eye over the corner of her cup.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, because you're not, but what does that have to do with anything?" Cornelia said.

"The rest of the girls, they expect a certain something from me. A joke and a smile, but not you. You see through the façade. Means I can be a bit more honest, I guess." Irma said.

Cornelia suddenly felt a much greater deal of sympathy for Irma. The two may not have always gotten along, but Irma was a friend, and a good one at that. Any help that Cornelia may have given, however, was interrupted by a screech from the corner of the room.

"Napoleon?"

The two girls watched as the cat jumped to his feet, hissing at the air, his back arched and tail erect.

"Can't you feel that?" Napoleon asked, pain in his voice. "There's something here, and it's making every hair I've got stand on end."

"Something? What something? Where something?" Cornelia asked, clenching her fists.

"I don't know what." Napoleon replied, his claws digging into the hardwood floor. "It's like… power. Pure power."

"Cornelia, this is bad." Irma said.

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up." Cornelia snapped, the fear audible in her voice. Neither girl had ever seen Napoleon like this, almost incapacitated by the mere presence of this thing. Worst of all, neither had any idea what to do. They were desperately figuring out a plan of action when suddenly Napoleon stopped, his eyes wide.

"I think I just figured out where." He said, his eyes darting down the hallway.

"Lillian!"

"Cornelia!"

Both girls took off down the hallway, towards the sound of Cornelia's screaming little sister. With little regard for the doorknob, Cornelia burst through the door only to see her worst fears confirmed. Lillian was in bed, as Cornelia had left her, but now she appeared to be glowing. A light was shining from her face, but as the girls watched, it was spreading down her body. Cornelia didn't want to find out what happened when it finished.

"Cornelia, what's happening?" Lillian asked, sweat pouring off her brow. "I can't move! Help!"

"Don't worry Lillian, I'm coming!" Cornelia said, diving on to the bed.

She quickly reached for her little sister, but as she did so, Lillian began to shine brighter. Before Cornelia could react, a wall of power unlike any she'd ever felt before threw her across the room, leaving her slumped in the corner.

"Cornelia!" Lillian screamed, the light continuing to advance.

"You all right?" Irma asked, glancing only briefly at her dispatched friend.

"Irma, do something!" Cornelia said, struggling to get to her feet.

"Like what? I have no idea what this is." Irma said.

"You have to do something!"

"If I follow your lead, odds are I join you in the corner." Irma said.

"Irma, that's my sister!"

Irma focused in on Lillian. She was without her powers, and there was no time to call Will. Even if they could, Irma doubted there was anything water would be able to do to help.

"Irma!"

With a deep breath, Irma realized the only option available to her.

"Well, I've got nothing to lose." She said, climbing on the bed.

With a cautious hand, she reached for Lillian just as Cornelia had. She could feel the build up of energy coming from Lillian, and braced herself for impact, Sure enough, she was thrown on top of Cornelia, and the two girls became a tangled mass of limbs. But it was clear that Irma had had an effect on the intruder. It flickered and flashed, before a bright tendril of light lunged for Irma. Irma curled up as the tendril made contact, but once again it flickered. As the girls watched in confusion, it slowly left Lillian's body until it had collected in a small, bright ball of light, which quickly flew out the nearby window.

"Irma, what did you do?" Cornelia said, finally standing under her own power.

"No idea." Irma replied, a blank look on her face. "I think it worked though. Maybe?"

"I'm not complaining." Cornelia replied. "Lillian, are you alright?"

The shock and fear of the preceding events had left Lillian shivering on her bed, and unable to speak.

"She seems fine." Irma said.

"I'll have to deal with this though. Call it a bad dream, or something." Cornelia said, laying Lillian down and tucking her in.

"You do that. I'd love to stick around, but I kind of want to make sure nothing's happening at my house." Irma said, heading to the door.

"Good idea." Cornelia said. "Oh, and thanks Irma. I don't know what you did, but I'm glad you were here."

We'll have to talk to the girls about this too, you know." Irma said, pausing in the doorway.

"Yeah, but, you know, tomorrow." Cornelia said, keeping an eye on her sister.

Irma turned to leave once more, but paused to look back at Cornelia and Lillian.

"Something wrong?" Cornelia asked, noticing Irma was still there.

"I don't know. I've just got a bad feeling about this one." Irma said, a worried expression on her face.

Cornelia tried to give a reason for Irma not to worry, but as she searched for encouraging words, she found none to give.

Marwo

As of yesterday, the planet of Marwo had a population of 4,547,800,000 people, give or take a couple hundred thousand. One of them had had a very strange morning. His name was forgotten, even by him, although he was fairly certain he had had one yesterday.

Memories of his past seemed, in general, to be few and far between. He casually went through his mind, picking up what images and words he could, and discarding what he didn't need. His mother had died in childbirth, his father soon after. He himself had known the military from a young age, and had quickly shot through the ranks. His only constant companion had been death. From childhood, to adulthood, by his hand or by those he commanded, death had been with him. And it had not left.

He smiled, the fond memories giving him new encouragement for the tough days and weeks ahead. He, his spirit, not his body, had been gone a very long time. Many things had changed since his departure, and not much for the better. He felt the strands of chaos grabbing at his skin, tugging at his mind. This universe had become unpredictable and uncontrolled. He planned on changing the latter to fix the former.

It would take time, and more then a fair bit of effort, but it would be done. Of course, there was his sister; he would have to find her. Hopefully, they would reach the same agreement they had before. And if they didn't, well, he had always considered himself the stronger of the two. So much more… permanent then she was.

He looked down at the orb known as Marwo and his confusion began to fade. He himself was high above the world, beyond the atmosphere and standing comfortably in the inky depths of space. From this perspective, everything seemed so small, and so clear. He knew the path, all he had to do now was walk it. With a confident smile and determination in his heart, he turned from Marwo for the final time. He had given his home, if that's what it was, the ultimate gift. He doubted any of them would thank them, but that was fine.

As of yesterday, there were 4,547,800,000 people living on Marwo. Today, there were none.


	3. Uncharted Territory

Chapter 2

Uncharted Territory

Heatherfield

Will Vandom had been to many places. Not just on Earth, but across dimensions, and onto worlds ordinary humans could barely imagine. She had seen the treasures and riches of countless civilizations, and gazed upon vistas unlike any on Earth. But through all her travels, she had never found anything quite as lovely as a cool summer breeze in Heatherfield.

"Now when you say 'ball of light'…" Matt said, mindlessly strumming a few chords while he talked.

Lately, Will had taken to hanging out at Matt's garage while he practiced. He would work on his songs, or play a few classics, and Will would sing along when she could. Sometimes she pretended she was the lead singer of a famous rock band and other times, like today, she would simply watch the world turn.

"I mean light, that was in ball form." Will replied.

"That's not overly helpful. Was it attacking Lillian, or what?" Matt asked.

"Cornelia said attacking. Irma said, what did she say… bonding. It was bonding with Lillian." Will answered.

"Neither of those are great options." Matt replied. "How did they defeat it?"

"Look, there's no point in asking questions. You know what I know." Will said.

"Which is not a whole lot." Matt said.

"No it's not." Will replied gloomily. "I almost wrote it off as an Irma joke, but somehow I doubt Cornelia's in on it too."

"And when does the inevitable trip to Kandrakar happen?" Matt asked.

Before Will could answer, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket.

"Speak of the devil." Will said.

"I'm still not confortable with Kandrakar just being able to call you like that. What exactly did they do to your phone?" Matt asked, squinting at the device suspiciously.

"Gave me the best long distance plan in the universe." Will said with a smile and wink. "Hi Yan Lin, what's up?"

"That's what we'd like to find out." Yan Lin replied on the other end. "The council requests the presence of all five of you at once."

"Do they now?" Will asked smugly. "Is this your idea, or did Irma call you?"

"Both, actually. Irma did contact us, but we have our own reasons for summoning you."

"And are these reasons related?"

"Let's find out. Come to the fortress at once Will."

"Yeah, I'm going to need five minutes. At least." Will said with a smile.

"Will, this is urg… Yes, fine, five minutes. But do hurry." Yan Lin said with a sigh loud enough for Matt to hear.

"Since when you do ask for five minutes from Kandrakar?" Matt asked as Will hung up the phone. "And since when do they give it to you?"

"Since Kandrakar finally realized what kind of jerks they had been." Will said. "Took twenty years, but better late then never. Now they're actually treating us like people, not weapons. Speaking of which…"

"Yeah?" Matt asked, wondering why Will had hesitated before opening the fold.

"You could come with me, you know, if you wanted." Will said.

"To Kandrakar? Really?" Matt asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I mean, you don't have to." Will said with a sheepish shrug. "We're probably not even going to do much but, well, you said you wanted to be a part of my Guardian life more. Here's a chance."

"I'll take it." Matt said with a grin. "It'll be nice to see the old fortress again."

And with a flash, the garage was temporarily empty.

Kandrakar

When Will and Matt arrived at the fortress, the rest of the girls were already there, folds having been provided by Kandrakar. Cornelia looked surprisingly tired, which Will took to mean Lillian had a restless night. It was Hay Lin, however, who was the center of attention.

"How's Eric doing?" Irma asked, putting an arm around her friend.

"After being brought back to life on another planet? About as good as he can be, I guess." Hay Lin said with a shrug. "We've been keeping it pretty quiet lately, just in case there's any side effects."

"Yeah, ask your doctor if resurrection is right for you." Irma chirped.

"Really though, Hay Lin, we're glad he's alright." Taranee added. "Cornelia, what's new with Lillian?"

"Yes Cornelia, I think we'd all like to know the answer to that." Yan Lin interupted

The girls spun to see Yan Lin and Himerish, now re-instated as Oracle, walking towards them. Cornelia was ready to answer the inquiry before Himerish interrupted her.

"Now, now, Yan Lin, let's be polite. After all, these girls are taking time out of their busy day to be here." Himerish said, causing a look of confusion to spread across the face of all present.

"Under new management indeed." Irma muttered.

"You are right, Oracle." Yan Lin said, head bowed. "How are you girls? It is good to see you again granddaughter."

Hay Lin gave her grandmother a big hug, and for a few seconds, all was well. The girls new there were new dangers hovering over their heads, but sometimes it was simply nice to see an old friend. Still, as Hay Lin looked at her grandma, she could see the toll stress had taken on her.

"As for Lillian," Cornelia said, breaking the tranquil moment. "I told you everything I know on the phone."

"Lillian's late night visitor is troubling. But unfortunately, we have more pressing matters." Himerish said.

"More pressing them my sister almost being turned into a human flashlight?" Cornelia said, arms crossed.

"Perhaps something more pressing then anything else in the universe." Yan Lin said. "Please, follow me."

"Or you could just tell us, instead of being cryptic." Hay Lin pouted, beginning to follow her grandmother.

"What can I say? I still have a flair for the dramatic." Yan Lin said with a wink.

The girls did as they were told and began to follow Yan Lin. Soon, she turned away from the standard corridors and entered a small, narrow stairwell. With trepidation, one by one the girls and Matt followed Yan Lin, spiraling downwards and watching as light illuminated the path in front of them as they walked.

"Kandrakar has nearly countless rooms." Yan Lin said as they neared a large wooden door. "Some hold weapons that could shatter planets. Others contain the answers to some of the greatest secrets in the universe. Still others like this room…"

Yan Lin pushed open the door, revealing nothing but a large circular table inside.

"Contain only maps." Yan Lin finished, beckoning the girls inside.

"Maps?" Will asked. "No offense Yan Lin, but I was expecting something a little more then maps."

"Not everything that happens at the fortress involves monsters and warriors." Yan Lin said. "Ideally, Kandrakar exists to pursue science and exploration. Sadly, the last few years have not allowed for such peaceful pursuits."

"And this is more important then my sister how?" Cornelia asked, getting impatient.

Yan Lin went to the table, and it flickered to light as she approached. With a wave of her hand, a display appeared in front of the girls, showing several spiraling galaxies.

"Is this…?" Taranee asked, staring at the display.

"This, girls, is everything." Yan Lin said. "Every living creature that we know of is shown on this map right now. But let's bring things a bit closer to home."

With another wave, Yan Lin shrunk the map so that it zoomed in on one of the galaxies.

"This is the milky way. Earth is somewhere around here." Yan Lin said, pointing to a distant corner of the map. "Now, behold!"

The girls watched in earnest as a multitude of red dots appeared throughout the galaxy. There were thousands of dots, spread out evenly among the many star systems of the galaxy.

"Please tell me we don't have to fight all of those." Irma said.

"No, these dots represent Perlings." Yan Lin explained.

"Perl of what now?"

"Perlings." Yan Lin repeated. "They are benign, peaceful creatures that travel throughout space, absorbing solar radiation as food. They are fascinating creatures, and we take weekly measurements of their behavior. This is a census taken two months ago, each dot representing a herd."

"A space faring species. I didn't think it was possible." Taranee said in hushed tones.

"There is much humans still have to learn." Yan Lin said with a smile.

"As fascinating as this is, I still don't see how it trumps Lillian's problems." Cornelia said.

"Wait, if you take weekly readings, why are we getting the census from two months ago?" Will asked.

"Very astute Will. This is where they are now." Yan Lin said, adjusting the display once more.

Now, the dots had moved dramatically. No longer were they spread out evenly. There was a large gap in the upper right hand corner of the map where no dots were present and the rest were clustered to the bottom left.

"A couple months ago, every Perling in this sector moved as far and as fast as they could. As far as we can tell, they're still running." Yan Lin said.

"From what? What could make an entire species evacuate an area?" Taranee asked nervously.

"That is a very important question." Yan Lin replied. "All we know is that the epicenter of their migration is a planet by the name of Marwo."

"So you want us to investigate?" Will asked, cracking her knuckles.

"No." Yan Lin said bluntly.

"What? But isn't that the point of the guardians? To investigate the stuff others can't?" Hay Lin said, before noticing the glares the girls were giving. "Not that I'm complaining…"

"Yeah, I'm with Hay Lin." Taranee added. "As much as I'd love the rest, I won't relax if I know there are people we should be helping."

"We appreciate the thought. But send us in." Will said reluctantly.

"We're not stopping you to be nice to you." Yan Lin interrupted. "We're stopping you because we're scared."

The girls opened their mouth, but had no response. They could see the truth in Yan Lin's eyes, as well as the fear.

"The Perlings, they can sense energy in space. That's how they find and feed on solar radiation." Yan Lin explained. "For them to react so dramatically, the energy would have to be, well, we don't have a number for it."

"Do we have any other information then just space whales?" Cornelia said. "I mean, this could be natural, right?"

"We do have informants, or allies, on many of the nearby planets. Or at least we did." Yan Lin began.

"That's not good. Past tense is never good." Irma quipped, hiding her fear.

"We've lost contact with them. All of them."

"So, what do we do?" Will asked.

"Knowledge is power, Will. That's why we are telling you all of this now. We will do our best to find out as much information as we can about this, and keep you up to date. Just as we'd like you to do about Lillian, or any other strange occurrences." Yan Lin said.

"You think they're connected?" Cornelia asked.

"At this point, anything is possible." Yan Lin replied. "Keep your eyes and ears sharp, and report anything. And girls?"

"Yeah grandma?"

"Be safe."

Heatherfield

Will and Matt returned to the garage in much the same way they had entered. This time, however, the relaxing summer breeze had been replaced by a much sharper, colder wind, and Will thought she saw storm clouds on the horizon.

"I guess we might as well make the most of it." Matt said. "You know, enjoy the time we have to relax. I'm not sure how long it's going to last."

"Relax while half the galaxy may have been wiped out? Yeah, good luck with that." Will replied, oblivious to a blue flash of light behind them. "I hate feeling useless. I know the break is nice, but I really just want to…"

"Help."

"Exactly. Hey, look at us finishing each other's sentences." Will finished.

"Uh, Will? I didn't say that." Matt said.

The two looked at each other, eyes wide. Slowly, they turned around to find a most peculiar sight. A man, fully dressed in ornate armor was lying face down on the garage. Will and Matt both stared dumbstruck at the figure for a while, before jumping into action.

"He looks hurt." Will said, falling to her knees beside the man. "Matt, can you…?"

"On it." Matt said, watching to door to make sure they were uninterrupted.

"Who are you? Are you alright?" Will said, rolling the man over, only to find that even his face was encased in armor plating.

"I… am the… survivor." The man said quietly before slipping once more into unconsciousness, leaving Will and Matt with only questions.


	4. Exit Strategy

Chapter 3

Exit Plan

Heatherfield

Will stared dumbfounded at the motionless body before her. She had seen and done many things as a Guardian, much of which had been admittedly stranger then her current situation. She had been a warrior, a teacher, a diplomat and a leader, but more often then not, she was still just a young girl.

"Will!" Matt snapped, bringing Will back to reality.

Matt, as always, was there for her. And this time, he was right. Will quickly narrowed her focus, forgetting on everything except for the task at hand. Her first step was making sure the strange visitor wasn't a threat to herself or Matt. She searched the man for any weapons, but found none. Next, she checked to make sure he was still alive, a surprisingly difficult task. She couldn't hear a heartbeat, but the armor he wore was so heavy and thick she didn't expect to. When she put her ear next to his faceplate, however, the faint sound of breath could be detected.

"Is he okay?" Matt asked, still standing guard by the door.

"Yeah, I think so." Will replied, trying vainly to peal the armor off.

"Will, we've got to move!" Matt said suddenly, "My mom's on her way, and there's no way I can explain this!"

"On it." Will replied. "Call the rest of the girls, tell them to meet us at Taranee's. Get yourself over there too as soon as you can!"

"Taranee? But why…?" Matt said, but it was no use. Will had already teletransported herself and the armored man away.

* * *

Taranee tried to shake her head clear, still reeling from the loud telepathic orders she had received from Will. While the girls could communicate telepathically from long distances, but it was painful for both parties, and was avoided whenever possible. Clearing her mind quickly, Taranee grabbed the laundry basket from her room, threw some clothes into it and rushed downstairs.

"Woah, where are you going in such a hurry?" Her mom asked, interrupting her fleeing daughter halfway to safety.

"Oh, well, I just thought… that, I'd do my own laundry for once." Taranee stammered. "University is just around the corner, and I'll have to learn somehow, right?"

"Uh, ok. You sure you don't need any help?" Her mom asked suspiciously.

"No!" Taranee yelled. "That is, I want to learn myself. Hands on, you know?"

"Ok, honey, whatever makes you happy." Her mom replied, shaking her head.

Taranee sprinted downstairs, muttering many unkind things under her breath. Will, the object of her disdain, was waiting in the basement, the strange armored man at her feet.

"Alright, let's hear it." Taranee said, taking a seat on the now overturned laundry basket.

"Matt and I had just got back from Kandrakar, and we were minding our own business…"

"Uh huh."

"I swear we were Taranee." Will said, arms crossed. "This guy just came out of nowhere. I didn't even see a fold, although there must have been one."

"And did he say anything?" Taranee asked, taking a closer look at the armor.

"He said he was the survivor."

"A survivor? Is that a status or a title?" Taranee asked.

"Not sure. And he didn't say 'a' survivor, he said 'the' survivor. As if he was the only one." Will said.

"Well that's worrisome." Taranee said woefully.

"Taranee, Irma's here!" Mrs. Cook shouted down the stairs. "And Cornelia, and… Taranee! Why is everyone here?"

"Just send them down mother, it's fine." Taranee shouted back.

Matt and the rest of the girls made their way down the stairs, chased by the sound of Mrs. Cook muttering about the meaning of the word fine.

"We leave you alone for five minutes." Irma said.

"Trust me, not my idea." Will said.

Any chance Will had at explaining the situation disappeared in the form of a groan emanating from the armored man.

"Woah, don't try to move." Matt said as the armor began to creak and stir.

"W-where?" The man said, his voice weak and ragged.

"Look, no offense buddy, but you crashed on our world, so we get to ask the questions." Will said, keeping a hand on the Heart at all times.

"Your world? Then I am no longer on Geneite?" The man said, his fists relaxing for the first time.

"No. I'm afraid you're a long way from home." Taranee said, as gently as she could manage.

"Then, I am safe." The survivor said.

Confident that the man did not pose a threat, Taranee began to give in to her curiosity. She bent down to get a closer look at the suit the man wore. At first glance, it was just like any armor she had seen displayed in Meridian castle. The steel was shiny and grey, with red trim along the waist and shoulders. As Taranee looked closer however, she began to notice finely carved markings throughout the armor plating. The carvings were intricate and beautiful, and were found on almost the entire suit. The only place free of the carvings was the facemask, by far the most interesting part of the armor.

The facemask was completely smooth and flat, without any markings of any kind. There was no mouth guard, no eye slits, and no noticeable way for the man inside to see or breath. It also did not appear detachable, instead being connected firmly to all surrounding parts of the armor.

"But if I am here, then Geneite… its people…" The man said, fear rising in his voice.

Taranee and the rest of the girls watched in stunned amazement as the facemask sprung to life. What had previously been a smooth, featureless plate now became covered in the same ornate carvings that covered the rest of the suit. As the girls watched, the carvings moved and danced around the faceplate, twisting and turning with each passing second. Taranee could barely focus on one set of symbols before they turned into something new. And it seemed as if the turmoil on the exterior of the suit was being matched inside.

"Gone… All gone!" The man screamed writhing on the ground.

The symbols moved faster, and the armor began to glow a bright shade red. Taranee couldn't take her eyes off the sight, looking away only as a hand grabbed her from behind.

"Everyone back!" Will said, kneeling next to the survivor.

Will quickly erected an energy shield over the man, isolating him from the rest of the room. No sooner was the shield in place then the armor erupted in a burst of red light, bathing the room in a crimson glow. When the light had dimmed enough for the girls to open their eyes, they saw the man lying motionless on the ground, his armor seemingly unscathed.

"One day I'll understand the things that happen to us, but today is not that day. Tomorrow's not looking too great either." Irma said as the girls once more circled the strange man.

"Is he alive?" Hay Lin asked.

"Is he going to explode again?" Cornelia added.

"I sure hope not. We just redid this basement." Taranee said.

"He only thought he was safe once he realized he wasn't on his home world." Will said softly. "I think he really was the only one."

The girls stood in stunned silence around the strange man in his strange armor. They understood he was quite likely the last of his species. They also knew that it was possible someone, or something had done this to his world. They should have been angry. They should have wanted justice for what had happened, but they didn't. They couldn't stop being scared.

Meridian

Elyon sat at the work desk in her room, exchanging glances between the paperwork in front of her and the city below her. Both views were ones she was familiar with, as this desk had been her home for the past several days. Even in times of peace, as Meridian was cautiously in now, there was a lot to do for a young monarch such as Elyon.

She was settling into the thick of a land agreement with settlers in the western corner of the city when she sensed she was being watched. She turned in her chair to see Caleb standing in her now open doorway, a grin on his face.

"Knocking's gone out of style, has it?" Elyon asked.

"Do you remember when you flirted with me at Will's party a couple years ago?" Caleb asked, ignoring Elyon's question.

"I haven't forgotten that, as much as I've tried." Elyon said with an embarrassed sigh.

"You oohed and aahed over me all night. Well, the times I wasn't fighting Cedric." Caleb said with a grin. "And when you weren't with me, you only talked about shoes, and the boy who worked behind the counter at Sheffield. I remember thinking, 'this is our queen? Might as well put Blunk in charge'."

"Shouldn't you be stabbing someone?" Elyon asked with a glare that was diminished by her red cheeks.

"Not until this afternoon." Caleb replied. "The point is, now you're fighting wars, and signing paper work. And I haven't seen you take a break since the peace treaty was signed. You've changed a lot since then."

"For the better?" Elyon asked.

Caleb paused.

"Doesn't matter what I think. What do you think?" He said at last.

"Of course I'm better then I was." Elyon said with a laugh. "I was a shallow, ignorant fool back on Earth."

"You've certainly gotten a lot more serious." Caleb said, his smile disappearing.

"I've grown up Caleb. I've had to." She replied, turning back to her work.

"Guess I couldn't protect you from everything." Caleb muttered, just loud enough for Elyon to hear.

Elyon remained silent, but closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It's true, she had matured greatly the past view years. No longer was she the innocent, wide-eyed girl she had been. She was a queen now, for better or for worse.

"If there's nothing else Caleb…" She began.

"Ah, but there is. You have a visitor."

Elyon turned once more towards the door, and this time Walli stood waiting for her.

"Ah, Walli. It's been a while since I've talked to you." Elyon said, beckoning him inside.

"A fact I am grateful for my liege." Walli replied.

"If that's all you need of me Elyon…" Caleb interrupted, taking one step towards the door.

"Actually Caleb, I'd like you to stay." Walli said. "This matter concerns you as well."

Caleb and Elyon exchanged worried glances, but Caleb was signaled to stay.

"You're grateful you haven't talked to me? Be careful, I might start taking that personally." Elyon said.

"It would seem to me that the only time we talk, Queen Elyon, is when there is bad news. Usually, news I am the cause and bearer of."

"Is that a streak that will end today?" Elyon asked trying in vain to read the emotions on Walli's face.

"Yes, it will." Walli said with a worrying amount of certainty. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but it was my actions that started the Meridian-Balsilide war."

"And those same actions saved the life of a Guardian, and a friend." Eylon interrupted. "Walli, we've been over this before. Your actions were… unfortunate, but arguably necessary. Please don't tell me the only reason you're here is to talk about that again."

"No, I'm not here to talk about past transgressions. I'm here to talk about future ones." Walli said, keeping his voice level as he had throughout the conversation.

"But we've learned our lesson, haven't we? There won't be any future transgressions." Elyon said.

"No, there won't. I've made sure of that." Walli replied.

Walli produced a set of papers from behind his back, and slid them on to Elyon's desk. Elyon read them carefully, her eyes widening as they moved.

"Walli, you can't be serious…" She began.

"Elyon, are those what I think they are?" Caleb asked.

"Those are my papers of resignation." Walli said. "I am leaving the castle and the Honor Guard, immediately and indefinitely."

Suddenly, Elyon dearly missed those simple days back on Earth.


	5. How to Make Friends

Chapter 4

How to Make Friends

Meridian

This was hardly the first time the Guardians had been faced with a difficult situation. They had made life and death decisions more times then they wished to remember. Usually, an almost overwhelming sense of fear and despair accompanied the choice, but this one was different. This time, there was no self-pity, no anger, and no blame to pass around. The stakes were high, the road ahead was unclear, but they would walk it with heads held high. They would make the choice and do their best, just as they had so many times before.

"He seems safe, but I hardly feel the same way." Cornelia said, keeping her distance from the man on the floor.

It had been about thirty minutes since the survivor had appeared at Will and Matt's feet. Now bunkered up in Taranee's basement, long term decisions needed to be made.

"We don't know what attacked him and his world, and we don't know if it was stopped." Will said.

"Although normally you don't flee your dead world because you won." Hay Lin pointed out.

"So if this… thing is still out there, and if it is looking for this guy, which it might very well be, I'd rather it not find him here in my basement." Taranee said. "We should get him to Kandrakar. Maybe they'll know what to do with him."

"Sounds good to me. Someone lift him up." Will said, opening a fold to Kandrakar.

Before the girls could take action, however, a voice from the other side of the portal warned them to stop. The voice was then quickly followed by Himerish and Yan Lin, who made sure to close the fold behind them.

"Oh, now you're making house calls?" Irma said, arms folded.

"Will, you must hear our words before making your next move." Himerish said, arm outstretched.

"How do you even know about our moves? Are you spying on us? Watching our every move?" Will asked suspiciously.

"No Will, we do not spy on you. We respect your need for privacy." Yan Lin said.

"But?" Will ventured.

"But that does not mean we're blind." Yan Lin admitted.

"We detected a high energy surge from Heatherfield, followed by multiple teletransportations." Himerish added. "We put two and two together, and then turned our eyes on you."

"I hate to admit it, but I'm glad you did." Taranee said. "But how about your place, not mine. The scorch marks on the floor will be hard enough to explain as it is."

"I'm afraid that is not an option." Himerish said.

"Why, dare I ask, not?" Taranee said with a sigh.

"For starters, we believe your friend here is a Spectre from the planet Geneite." Himerish explained. "A peaceful world for the most part, and one we've had very little business on. Their military elite are called Spectres, each one with a unique suit of armor with varying magical abilities. But world jumping is not one of those abilities. Something has, how would you say…"

"Supercharged him?" Irma offered.

"Yes, exactly. And it would appear as if he is not fully in charge of the energy he holds. "

"It's similar to the energy we use to create folds, but it's erratic." Yan Lin said. "Passing those energies through a fold would be… problematic."

"Would this problem be noticeable by the three people living up stairs?" Taranee asked.

"Yes, but only for the brief second they were alive." Himerish said.

"I'll pass then." Tarnee said dejectedly.

"But teletransporting is still and option. I did that earlier." Will said.

"Not an ideal way to test it, but it is good to know." Himerish said. "Eventually, the energy will bleed off, or he'll control it, and he can be taken to the fortress."

"But until then, enjoy your new roommate." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"Great. And how am I supposed to explain to my parents why I've got an armored man in my room?" Taranee asked.

"Stick a bowl of water in his hands, prop him up on the front yard and tell your parents he's a bird bath." Irma suggested.

While the girls worked themselves into fits of giggles thinking of ways Taranee could hide the survivor, Taranee folded her arms and pouted, not finding the situation quite so funny.

Folican

"People of Folican, thank you for coming!" The voice boomed through the sky.

The owner of the voice, a middle aged woman with shining silver hair and pale white skin, as all members of her species had, beamed at the crowed in front of her.

"Not that you had much choice in the matter, granted. But still, I appreciate the effort." She added. "Let me just say though, it is good to be back!"

The crowed stood in stunned silence, watching the lone figure upon the stage. With a sigh, the woman snapped her fingers, and the crowd erupted into applause.

"You'll have to excuse me, I'm not much of a morning person. If I don't get a couple worlds in by lunch, I'm miserable. But hey, that's okay, because we're going to have a fantastic day!"

She giggled at her own rhyme, before straightening her long white dress and focusing once more on the crowd.

"But seriously folks, I'm glad we get to share this monumental occasion together. I've been reading up on your world, and I am impressed. I mean, diseases? Gone! Wars? Eradicated! This world is, oh sorry, was a utopia. A place of… life! And that's never been more true then today!"

This time, the crowd applauded on cue without any prompting by the woman. She smiled and continued.

"I am also pleased to announce that we have some career opportunities opening up. How many you ask? Oh, about a trillion or so. And as our eager early applicants, you've all been selected!"

More clapping, more smiling.

"Now, I should warn you, there is quite a commute. Not all of you will be home for supper, but I think you'll agree, our benefits package is without match. So come, my people, let us spread the good word!"

Arms outstretched, the woman began to rise into the air, gaining speed as she moved. The crowd, all five billion living people on Folican, ascended with her. Her grin got even wider as the world, her world, took flight amongst the stars. It was good, it was right, and it was only the start. Without a doubt, she thought, today was a good day to be alive.

Meridian

Elyon shut the door behind her with a dejected sigh. She turned to Caleb, who was eagerly waiting in the hallway for news of the talk.

"That didn't take long. Did he change his mind?" Caleb asked.

"He said he didn't want to be disturbed. He's packing." Elyon replied bitterly.

"Not overly encouraging then."

"I don't know Caleb, Walli says leaving the castle is the best thing for all of us, but I'm not convinced he knows what's best for him, let alone us." Elyon said, slumping against the nearby wall.

"Well it's been two days now. We've tried everything short of tying him to a chair." Caleb said.

"Not everything." Elyon replied, a familiar look of determination appearing on her face. "Time to bring in the big guns."

Elyon pulled out her necklace to reveal the Tonga tooth dangling off of it. With a quick swipe, Elyon opened a fold between worlds, and out stepped a familiar brown haired girl.

"It's been a weird day already, and now I get a text saying Walli is doing what?" Irma said, arriving on Meridian.

"Leaving the Honor Guard, and the castle." Elyon explained. "And he doesn't plan on coming back."

"What? Why?" Irma asked in confusion.

"Oh, you know, the whole murder, start a war between worlds thing." Caleb replied.

"Which we've clearly explained was not his fault, and he should not feel guilt over it." Elyon said, elbowing Caleb in the ribs. "By the way, it wasn't your fault either Irma."

"Spare me." Irma said with a wave of her hand. "So if you don't want him to go, just don't let him go. You are queen, after all."

"It's not that simple." Elyon said with a sigh.

"In order to have a bit more freedom with what we do, the Honor Guard has almost complete independence from the crown." Caleb explained.

"Which gives me little to no power over them, other then Caleb generally listens to what I say." Elyon finished. "Good for covert missions, bad for general order.

"Technically, Walli isn't even part of the Meridian military. Same with Raythor. They're actually freelancers." Caleb added.

"This all sounds extremely stupid." Irma said. "And doesn't in any way explain why I'm here, instead of losing my problems in the bottom of a tub of ice cream."

"Well, we're not having a lot of luck talking to him." Elyon said.

"To be honest, we know very little about him. And he is free to go wherever he wants…" Caleb added.

"But?" Irma asked.

"But, we trust him." Elyon said. "And given my extreme, and justified, trust issues, that's saying something."

"He made mistakes with Balsilide, no doubt about it, but he's one of us. Whatever he's going through, whatever he's feeling, we'll get him through it as a team." Caleb said.

"Not to sound like Cornelia, but when do we start talking about me?" Irma asked.

"You… have a better connection with him then anyone." Elyon said.

"That's either incorrect, or sad. I barely know the guy. I have zero connection to him." Irma said.

"We know you have a massive crush on him, and have talked with him on more then one occasion." Caleb said with a hint of a smile.

"What? That's not… I don't… You're crazy!" Irma stammered.

"Oh please Irma, even the kitchen staff knows it. You fool no one." Elyon said.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Irma said calmly. "And you're going to send me in because you think I have a crush on him. Which I don't. What kind of a plan is that?"

"The plan that two tired, desperate people came up with." Elyon said. "Now go and make with the talk."

With a gentle shove, Irma was pushed through the doors and found herself face to face with Walli, who was preparing a large knapsack for travel.

"Uh, so, come here often?" Irma stammered, straightening herself out.

"Irma? What are you doing here? Both on Meridian, and in my room?" Walli asked, facing the young girl.

"Who, me? Well, I was just in the neighborhood, and thought, you know, I might as well check in…" Irma began, twirling a finger through her hair as she spoke.

"My apologies, that was a foolish question." Walli said. "I do not believe it is a coincidence you arrive here on the day of my departure. Elyon told you."

"Yeah she did." Irma said. "You're really serious about this then? This whole departure thing?"

"Yes. I bring darkness wherever I go Irma. I do not wish to bring anymore of it here." Walli answered solemly.

"Funny, you always seemed to brighten up my day." Irma muttered.

"In truth, you are one of the things I will miss when I go." Walli said, turning back to his packing. "But go I must. Trust me, it's for the best. Do not try to talk me out of it."

"I won't." Irma said.

"Really?" Walli asked, surprised. "I mean, good. But, why not?"

"I'm not very smart, and I'm not very good with words." Irma said. "I don't think there's anything I'll say that will be better then what Elyon and Caleb already told you. You can leave if you want."

"Thank you Irma." Walli said. "I appreciate you letting me walk my path alone."

"Oh, I didn't say you'd be alone." Irma said with a knowing smile. "You can leave if you want, but I'm coming with you."


	6. Ships in the Night

Chapter 5

Ships in the Night

Meridian

Taranee sat on her bed and stared at the armored man now propped carefully in the corner of her room. Her thoughts straddled a fine line between fear and curiosity, with the result being a nervous ball of energy that had compacted her stomach into the size of a postage stamp. But no matter what she told herself, or what she felt, the strange man in the strange armor was still standing motionless in the corner of her room. And that did little to calm her nerves.

Since his arrival in Taranee's basement, the man had muttered only the few faint words the Guardians had heard, before falling into his near comatose state. But while the body inside may have been limp, the armor was not. It's rigid and seemingly unbreakable structure allowed the man to be carried quickly and quietly upstairs into Taranee's room, while Irma had run distraction outside of the house.

Will had offered to teletransport the man. Hay Lin had been willing to keep him at the Silver Dragon. Even Cornelia had offered up the unused apartment in her building to store the stranger. Taranee had to admit that nearly all of these ideas were better then the current arrangement, yet she had declined them all. More then anything else, this man was a mystery. Even Kandrakar had little information on who he was and how his armor worked. All that was known was that he was an elite warrior known as a Spectre from the planet Geneite. The rest, Taranee was determined to figure out for herself.

"Honey, I'm coming up with laundry!" Taranee's mother called from down the hallway. "Are you decent?"

Taranee snapped to attention. Up to now, she had managed to simply keep her parents out of her room, but she knew she couldn't keep it up forever. It didn't mean that she wasn't going to try.

"Uh, no, I'm changing." Taranee called back, wondering if she should prop her chair against the door. "Just leave it outside."

"No, you never fold your clothes properly. I'm coming in." Her mother replied.

"No! You can't." Taranee said, beginning to panic.

"Are you wearing clothes?"

"Yes." Taranee admitted glumly.

The young Guardian braced herself as her bedroom door swung open, and her mother entered.

"What in the world is that?" Mrs. Cook said, noticing the armored man immediately.

_Well, technically nothing 'in the world'. _Taranee thought, declining to actually voice it.

"What's what?" She asked, as innocently as she could.

"Oh, just the giant medieval suit of armor in the corner of your room. That's what."

"Oh, that." Taranee said slowly. "Uh, the Silver Dragon is under going a renovation, and Hay Lin asked me to store this for her."

"A whole suit of armor? Don't they have better places to hold it?" Mrs. Cook asked.

"Guess not. And hey, what are friends for?" Taranee said with a laugh.

Taranee's mother stared at the armor, as if trying to pry it open with her eyes. Taranee's heart skipped a beat as her mother ran her fingers over the steel plating. Much to Taranee's relief, however, the contact had no reaction to the seemingly inert armor.

"Looks like nothing I've ever seen." Mrs. Cook said. "But to each their own, I suppose. Supper will be ready in an hour. And next time, tell me when you're deciding to open up a museum wing in your room."

"Ok mom, thanks mom." Taranee said quickly, ushering her mother out the door.

Taranee breathed a big sigh of relief after her mother had left, before turning her attention back to the armor. There was once a time when she hated lying to her mother, and would rarely do it. Now, she found it easier and easier to break her parents trust. Ironically, it was this same trust that had made her mother believe the incredulous story.

She sat back down and stared once more at the strange armor. The markings that had once covered the surface of the suit were now gone, and had been ever since the man had passed out.

Taranee wheeled her chair over and looked at the facemask once more. There was one marking she hadn't seen before. Just one stray line that lay across the bottom of the facemask. But she had been so sure there had been none before.

"Excuse me." The man said, the line on the facemask moving like a mouth. "Could you please tell me where I am?"

Taranee fell right off her chair in surprise.

Meridian

Walli wandered silently down the forest path, his eyes instinctively checking every shadowed corner for danger. He knew that this forest was uninhabited save for the woodland creatures, but he was in no mood to be caught off guard. If he was, however, an extra pouch in his knapsack doubled as a quiver, and would ensure he was prepared.

There was not another human being for miles around, and Walli reveled in his solitude. His past year at Meridian castle had been more social then any other in his recent memory, and he hadn't realized how much he longed for silent roads until now. This time yesterday, it appeared as if he would have a traveling companion in Irma. She had walked in silence for the first hour of his journey, before being forced back to Earth, a victim of her civilian life. It was with much surprise that he turned a corner, and found himself facing a bight blue fold in the road. That Irma walked through the fold was much less surprising.

"This is childish." Walli said. "How did you find me?"

"Hey, I'm a Guardian. We know how to get things done." Irma replied cryptically.

The actual answer was in the form of Irma's cell phone, which had been slipped into Walli's knapsack the day before. When Kandrakar had upgraded it, they had changed the GPS system as well. Now Irma could track the phone, and Walli with it.

"Your presence accomplishes nothing here. I believe it would be beneficial to both of us if you return to your own world." Walli said, brushing past the girl.

"Oh come on, you know me well enough to know I'm not going to listen to you." Irma replied.

"It was worth a shot." Walli mumbled back.

"Walli, can we just talk?" Irma pleaded, following after the archer.

"I see no topics of conversation worth starting." Walli said bluntly.

"Oh, we have plenty to talk about." Irma said. "This trek of yours for starters, and how nuts it is."

"Hardly 'nuts'" Walli said. "It is precaution, and it is my penalty for wrong doings."

"It's depression." Irma said, holding out a hand to stop Walli. "And it's a serious thing. I would know, I've… seen it in others. But you're not going to find happiness in some bleak forest, or on the end of an arrow. You need someone to help you find it."

"I'm a journeyman. I work best alone." Walli said, shrugging his way past the girl once more. "My stint with the Honor Guard proved that."

"What stint would that be?" Irma asked. "The one where you saved Elyon from Dee? Or when you saved us from Endarno? You've done some amazing things Walli. Where could you possibly go that will top that?"

"I'm wandering, what makes you think I'm going anywhere?" Walli asked.

"I can tell by the way you walk. You've got a destination in mind. So where to?" Irma asked.

Walli paused for a second, and briefly turned back to face Irma.

"Home." He said.

Irma watched Walli walk away, a look of confusion on her face.

"Why do I get a feeling there's a story behind that?" She said, chasing after him.

Heatherfield

Matt watched with increasing amusement as Will paced circles on his garage floor. With every rotation, the corners of his smile were tugged upwards slightly more, until he could no longer hold it in.

"The irony is delicious." He said.

Will stopped and fired a glare Matt's direction. Matt was pretty sure the lights even flickered.

"You've spent most of your time as a Guardian wishing for things to be less busy, and now you get a break and you don't know what to do with it." Matt said.

"Except it's not a break, is it?" Will said, exasperated. "It's a benching."

"A benching?"

"Yeah. It's like we're playing football, and the coach benched me in the second half." Will explained.

"Neither of us play football, but I'll take your word for it." Matt said, his smile unmoving. "But, to continue the metaphor, you're not benched because of poor play. You're just getting a breather."

"And the game still goes on." Will said. "Even if it was just the Geneite world it would be too much, but it's not. There could be hundreds of worlds out there, and who knows what's happening to them."

"Hey, I feel your frustration, but don't worry about what you can't change." Matt said.

"Easier said then done."

"Fair enough. But at least try not to get so worked up about it." Matt said. "I mean, it's not like you're going to go on your own."

Suddenly, Will stopped her rotations and returned Matt's smile for the first time all day.

"Uh oh." Matt said, his smile vanishing.

"Matt, you're a genius." Will replied.

"Not the word I would use…"

"Since when do I listen to Kandrakar anyways?" Will asked the air.

"Since they try to save our lives." Matt replied.

"Our?" Will asked.

"Will, you know perfectly well that if you open up that fold, I'll be right behind you." Matt said. "I won't be happy about it, but still…"

"Never doubted it." Will said. "I'm going to lock on to where the survivor came from. The energies around here should still be strong enough. You might want to suit up."

"Already have." Matt said, now standing in Shagon form. "And I know this mask isn't big on facial features, but I'm frowning."

"Oh come on, you wanted adventure. Now you got it." Will said, transforming. "And we're just scouting, not engaging."

"Famous last words."

"Oh stop being such a sour puss. Come on, let's go see what we're up against."

And with a slash of the Heart, the two disappeared into the murky depths of the unknown.


	7. Metamorphosis

Chapter 6

Metamorphosis

Heatherfield

Taranee checked for the third time to see if her door was locked, her windows closed, and her room as soundproof as she could make it. With a wary eye, she glanced over at the armored man, now sitting on the foot of her bed.

"Okay, now in a quiet voice, tell me what you know." She said, taking a seat next to the man.

"I am… was from the world Geneite." The man began. "I was a warrior known as a Spectre. Since I'm the only one of them left, I suppose that's what you should call me."

"You keep saying you're the only one left. Is it true? Is your entire world…?" Taranee asked.

"Dead. Yes." Spectre replied. "We were attacked, I know not by whom. It started on the distant side of the world, and within weeks it had covered the planet."

"It?"

"Death." Spectre said. "I'm afraid there's no other way to describe it. There were no symptoms, no warnings, and no cures. Only death."

Taranee stared intently at her floor, contemplating what she had heard. She had faced great power in the past, but nothing compared to this.

"And you don't know what caused it?" Taranee said.

"No. No one I know… knew did."

"But you survived. How did you escape?" Taranee asked.

"I'm… not quite sure on that either." The Spectre said. "But I have a guess. This armor is powered by the souls, the life force of the people on my world. When the event, for lack of a better term, occurred, the souls of those who perished were absorbed by the armor. It increased my abilities dramatically, including, I guess, the power to travel between worlds. I remember wanting to find power capable of saving my world, and next thing I knew I was here."

"Your armor must have sensed the energy of the Heart of Kandrakar, even from that great distance. That's why you landed in front of Will, you were following the power." Taranee said.

"Then this power, this Heart you speak of, if it can not save my world, can it avenge my world?" Spectre asked hopefully.

Taranee did her best to smile, but she found it tough to be optimistic given the circumstances. She couldn't even imagine losing her friends, let alone her world, and could only imagine the turmoil going on underneath the armor. What finally crossed her face was a look of grim determination.

"You can bet we'll try."

Meridian

"Itsh thish gonni ake uch onga?" Eric said.

"Please, don't speak until I'm done." Dr. Patillo said, wiping spit off of her coat.

Eric patiently waited as the doctor peered down his throat, as she had been doing for the past few minutes. As his toes tapped with impatience, Hay Lin and Elyon watched on, the latter doing little to hide his amusement.

"He wants to know how much longer it's going to be, and so do I." Hay Lim grumbled, her arms crossed. "Some date this is."

"This isn't a date." Patillo said, nearly sticking her head inside Eric's mouth. "This is a serious medical diagnosis. Hardly something to fool around with. But since you're so impatient, I suppose I'm finished."

"I just don't see why I couldn't do this on Earth." Eric said, rubbing his sore jaw. "We have good doctors too, and they have big fancy equipment on Earth."

"Oh, yes?" Patillo replied. "And tell me, does this 'big fancy equipment' detect magical residue? Can it read auras? Have the 'good doctors' ever analyzed a patient who was legally dead?"

"At ease doctor, he's just new to this." Elyon said. "I didn't trust anything on Meridian for a month after I arrived."

"Sorry." Eric mumbled, sliding next to Hay Lin.

Patillo grunted her acknowledgement, and left the room in a huff.

"Don't worry about her." Elyon said. "She works hard, but her patients aren't always the most co-operative. I thought I was going to have to call you girls in when we tried to make Raythor have his physical."

"But, I'm fine, right?" Eric said nervously. "I mean, I feel fine."

"Fine is a relative term." Elyon replied. "Patillo is right, you were legitimately dead, and now you're not. We can't even begin to understand what we don't understand about that. The consequences could have been severe."

"But they weren't! You got a clean bill of health." Hay Lin said, giving Eric a hug.

_Except his health may not have been the only thing affected, _Elyon thought. She decided not to voice her concerns though. No need to burden the happy couple with her own worries.

"Yes, he did. And for that we are very grateful." Elyon said. "We've run tests on the Honor Guard too. No one near the site was affected in any way we can detect."

"Speaking of the Honor Guard, I heard about Walli." Hay Lin said. "Do you think he'll come back?"

"I don't know." Elyon admitted. "He was a good warrior, and although I'm not the best judge of character, I believe he was a good person. But if he feels his path is not with us, then I can't stand in his way."

"But Irma would sure like to." Hay Lin said with a smile. "If anyone can convince him, it's Irma, don't worry."

"I'm not worried about him coming back. That's out of my hands." Elyon said. "I'm worried about her if he doesn't."

Far away from the castle, on a road rarely travelled, Walli sat next to a roaring fire. The sun was beginning to set on Meridian, and the dancing flames provided much needed warmth and light, as well as a way to cook his catch. As he rotated the makeshift spit over the fire, he didn't even turn at the sound of a fold opening behind him.

"Come, you're just in time for dinner." Walli said, still staring at his future meal.

"Uh, I'll pass." Irma said, not quite as enamored with the food, which resembled a large rat, as Walli was. "Besides, I'd rather talk."

Irma took a seat opposite Walli, with the fire lighting up the dusk between them. For the first time, Walli had to glance up at his new partner.

"A talk? Just to mix things up?" He said dryly.

"Let's talk about your home." Irma said. "And why you're running away from your real home to get there."

"The castle was never my home. Merely a stop along the way." Walli said. "My true home is another couple days walk from here."

"And what do you expect to find there?" Irma asked.

This time, Walli had no answer. He stared at the dirt below his feet, and remained silent for several minutes, the light of the fire continuing to dance upon his face.

"Answers? Questions? Both." He said at last. "I do not know what I will find there."

"Well, that seems like a perfectly valid reason for leaving your life behind." Irma said, rolling her eyes.

"Not all stories start at the castle, or with the Guardians." Walli replied. "Mine stretches well back, to the time when Phobos was still ruler of this land."

"And are you going to tell me it? The story, that is." Irma asked eagerly.

"Perhaps." Walli said, moving the spit from the fire. "Your tenacity suggests you may discover it on your own, whether I like it or not. But either way, you will not learn it tonight. The fire dims, and my stomach aches. Indeed, you have no reason to stay save for my company."

"Sounds good to me." Irma whispered, just out of Walli's earshot.

Little else was said that night between the two. Walli ate and prepared for bed, and Irma watched patiently, taking in the calm clear night. Although it may have seemed small to Walli, it was a night Irma would be thankful for in the days to come.

Geneite

Will and Matt emerged from the portal and carefully judged their surroundings. If they were expecting monsters and demons to attack them, they were sorely disappointed. The land around them was barren and desolate, and dirt covered hills stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Will, I know I said I would support you with this, but my feathers are all standing up. There's something I really don't like about this place." Matt said.

"Me too. Now be quiet for a second." Will whispered.

Matt did as he was told, and the two silently listened for several seconds.

"I don't hear anything." Matt said.

"Exactly. There's no sound, because there's nothing here." Will said. "And look at this."

Will bent down to pick up a handful of dirt and brought it up to show Matt.

"This soil looks fine, but there's nothing growing in it. No grass or trees anywhere." She said.

"Maybe that's normal for this planet." Matt suggested.

"Perhaps…" Will replied, unconvinced. "Come on, let's see what we can see from the air."

Will and Matt took flight, but found little comfort in their aerial view. The landscape of Geneite was not so different from what they were used to at home, if the Earth had been wiped clean of all organic matter. For mile after mile, rocks and soil covered the landscape, making Geneite look more like a moon then the peaceful planet Kandrakar had described. Just when the two were ready to give up their search, they spotted a large city on the horizon, and dove towards it. The pair landed softly on a suburban roadway, and quickly noticed that the city was as lifeless as the rest of the planet.

"So we know people live here." Matt said, looking around. "Or, at least did."

"But where did they go? If they were attacked, there was no sign of struggle." Will said.

Matt couldn't help but agree with the assessment. No houses were destroyed, no fires burned. Even the windows were all intact, with the occasional light left on inside, illuminating the now vacant houses.

"Well something must have happened." Matt said. "A whole civilization doesn't just disappear for no reason."

"And what if that reason is still here?" Matt said, looking around nervously. "Maybe Kandrakar is right, maybe we should just leave."

"Matt, this is an entire planet!" Will replied. "We've risked our lives to save cities, or even people. If something is out there taking out whole worlds, we have to fight it, no matter wh…"

"Will! Look out!"

Will spun to see a small dark shape moving towards her. Its face was flat and featureless, with the exception of wide yellow eyes. It's skin was shiny and pitch black. It moved with surprising speed, darting in and out of the shadows, and heading directly towards Will. Instinctively, Matt fired a beam of energy at the creature, but his aim was off. The creature evaded the blast, and set its sights on Matt. Before Matt could fire again, the creature leapt up, giving Matt just enough time to move his body out of the way. He forgot, however, about his wings. The creature grabbed hold of the feathers, and hung on, causing Matt to scream in pain.

"Matt, shake it off! I can't risk a shot!" Will said.

"Will, you have to shoot! Kill it!" Matt yelled back, pain and fear in his voice.

Will heard the desperation in Matt's voice, and with careful aim, Will fired a bolt of lighting at the creature, removing both it and a large portion of Matt's feathers. With the creature safely dispatched, Matt fell to the ground, clutching his wing.

"What happened? I didn't think your wings could be hurt." Will said, rushing to Matt's side.

"His touch… so cold." Matt said. "My wings, they're dead!"

Will immediately saw what Matt was talking about. All the feathers around Matt's wings were withered and began to fall off. Matt changed back into human form, and quickly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that' better. At least the wings don't hurt when I don't have them." Matt said.

Now that she knew Matt was safe, Will wandered off once more. They would have to leave soon, but something had caught her eye in a nearby house.

"Will, do you think that thing was what happened here? Was it responsible for whatever happened to this world? Did it kill these people?" Matt asked.

"No." Will replied firmly, smashing the window of a nearby house and grabbing an object inside. "It didn't kill these people Matt."

Will turned and handed Matt a picture frame. In the picture, a happy family stood, each with the identical features of the creature that had just attacked them, save the dark black skin.

"It didn't kill the people Matt," Will said. "It's what the people became."


	8. Hell to Pay

Chapter 7

Hell to Pay

Meridian

Irma was having a very difficult time staying still. It had been three days now of daily walks with Walli through Meridian's deep forests, and still there had been little communication between the two. They had chatted about trivial things, such as the weather, or the forest around them, but nothing that Irma felt was worth her time. Regardless, she had returned once more, walking along side Walli with only the sound of the wind between them.

As the days had gone on, Irma had grown more and more frustrated with the silence. The anxiety inside of her had turned into nervous energy, and she couldn't walk unless she was tapping her fingers, or playing with her hair. She glanced over at Walli, whose calm demeanor was usually just another irritant for her, and was surprised to see a smile on the young man's lips.

"What's so funny?" She asked, not trying to mask her annoyance.

"You don't like silence, do you?" Walli said.

"That obvious?" She replied. "Well you're not helping you know. I've tried talking, but all I get from you is silence."

"And since that is the case, and it is, why are you here?" Walli asked.

"So I can ask you the same question. Why are you here? I bet you have a story, and I want to hear it."

"Of course I have a story, everyone has a story." Walli said. "Every action I take, and every step I make is the product of my story. My experiences, my knowledge, the people I meet, each has put me in the position I am now. There is a perfectly logical reason for why I am in this forest, even if you, and perhaps I, don't know what that reason is."

"Well, why don't you take a shot at explaining it, see what happens?" Irma asked.

"No. Not today at least." Walli said. "Let's talk about why you don't like silence."

Irma was loathe to change the conversation back on to herself, but at least it was better then the torturously quiet alternative.

"Silence is boring. Nothing happens in silence." She said curtly.

"No, that's not it. Some of the most important things in life happen in silence." Walli said dismissively. "What is the real reason?"

"Maybe I'm just a high energy person."

"No, your eyes betray how tired you really are." Walli replied.

"I guess I just like talking."

"You like to speak. But I've seen you do very little talking."

"There's a difference?" Irma asked.

"Yes." Walli said. "Talking has purpose and meaning, and usually seeks truth. You, on the other hand, joke and speak at will. There is no purpose in your words other then distraction."

"Since when did you become a philosopher?" Irma asked.

"The silence has given me time to think." Walli said, and Irma thought she could see just a hint of a smile on his face, the kind Irma would have gleefully erased. She was getting annoyed now. Any attempt she took at getting past Walli's defenses was being expertly deflected away.

"Maybe I just like noise, and I don't care if it has meaning or not." Irma said, her voice rising.

"Why is that?" Walli asked.

"Maybe because it stops me having to think about everything else!" Irma shouted.

As soon as she had said it, Irma knew she had gone to far. The truth had slipped out before she had even noticed, and now she faced the kind of silence that echoed through the trees and through her mind.

"Go on." Walli said at last, his face void of emotion.

"It's… It's like waterskiing." Irma said. "If you stand still and don't move, you just sink. But if you keep moving and keep your speed up, you can skim across the surface, and nothing drags you down."

"You can't keep moving forever." Walli said.

"I can try."

"No, eventually, you'll have to slow down. Might as well stop now and learn to swim. Besides, aren't you good with water?" Walli said.

"Only as a Guardian." Irma mumbled.

"Are the Guardians the issue then?" Walli asked.

"No, anything but." Irma said. "Everything good in my life comes from the Guardians. The only friends I have are Guardians, or people I've met as a Guardian. And controlling water is the only talent I've got. In fact, it seems the only time my life has meaning is when I've got wings and I'm fighting evil."

Whatever Walli was going to respond with got cut short as the phone in Irma's pocket began to vibrate. Irma quickly opened it and read the text.

"Speak of the devil. The survivor just woke up, I need to get to Taranee's." She said.

"The survivor? Who…?" Walli asked, confused.

"Yeah, you miss some stuff when you run away from home." Irma said.

"Towards. Running towards home." He corrected.

"So you say." Irma replied, opening a fold.

"The next time you come back, I will tell you why I am running. I will tell you my story." Walli said, causing Irma to stop in her tracks.

"Really? Why the change of heart?"

"If I am to share this with you, I need to trust you. Now that you've shared a secret of yours, I feel as if I can do the same." Walli explained.

Irma's expression suggested she did not fully understand this, but she didn't care either.

"Whatever. Same time tomorrow then." Irma said, disappearing into the fold.

"I eagerly await." Walli said, but there was no one around but the forest.

Heatherfield

The basement of the Silver Dragon was full of life, just as it had been so many times before. As Hay Lin looked around the room, she barely noticed the strange, armored man standing tall in the corner. She was too blinded by the echoes of the past. The fate of worlds had been decided in this basement. Hay Lin was hard pressed to say those were better times, but perhaps simpler. Now, they knew virtually nothing about their foe, save that his or her power was greater then any other they had faced.

"Have you heard anything from Will or Matt yet?" Cornelia asked, nervously pacing the room.

"Not a thing." Taranee replied. "You don't think they would have gone and done anything stupid, do you?"

In unison, the girls turned to give Taranee a knowing look.

"Ok, but not too stupid, right?" Taranee said sheepishly.

"Either way, we need to get this show on the road." Irma interrupted. "I can only spend so much time away form home before it gets suspicious.

"Good point. Spectre, tell them what you told me." Taranee said, giving the floor to the armored man.

Spectre relayed what little information he had told Taranee to the rest of the group, including his name, his powers, and the fate of his world. As he talked, the symbols on his facemask displayed the emotions of the man within, mimicking his words perfectly with a makeshift mouth. They swelled as Spectre talked with pride of his world, and shrank when he mentioned their fate.

"What are those markings?" Cornelia said, gesturing at Spectre's facemask. "Wouldn't it be easier just to take the armor off?"

"This is no mere armor." Spectre said. "It is bonded to me, body and soul. I could no sooner remove it then you would an arm. These symbols are merely a way to convey feelings from within."

"And would those symbols like to convey to us why you're here at all?" Irma said. "I get you were running away, but why Heatherfield as a safe haven?"

"When all seemed lost, I wished I had the power to save my world." Spectre began. "Subconsciously, I must have tapped into the ability to travel between worlds, a power I did not even know I had. And I believe the armor granted my wish by leading me to you girls. Taranee has told me of the amazing things you have accomplished."

"I may have bragged a little…" Taranee said sheepishly.

"You girls may not be able to save my world, but you can save others like it." Spectre said, new enthusiasm in his voice.

"We'd like to, we really would." Cornelia began.

"But we don't know anything about this threat." Hay Lin added. "I'm sorry, but we can't fight this. Not yet."

Just then, another fold appeared, and two familiar faces, Will and Matt, joined the crowded basement.

"We have to fight this." Will said, taking a brief look around the room.

"Oh, and where have you two been all this time?" Taranee said.

"On Geneite."

"Geneite? You have seen my world?" Spectre asked, snapping to attention.

"Yes." Will said.

She opened her mouth again, before closing it thoughtfully.

"Well, I think we have. I didn't actually see any signs…"

"Your species, pale green skin, large yellow eyes?" Matt asked.

"Yes." Spectre replied. "You saw them? There were survivors?"

"We saw what they had become." Will said. "We saw a twisted, black creature that resembled your people. But unless you have some weird sub-species, it wasn't them anymore."

"And its touch was like… death." Matt said. "He grabbed my wing, and it withered away. It's healing, but it still hurts when I transform back."

"A fate worse then death. It is almost too horrible to believe." Spectre said, slumping back against the wall.

"I'm sorry, I really am." Taranee said, putting her hand on Spectre's shoulder, but his armor was cold to the touch.

"Not only are we sorry, but we're mad." Will said. "And if this is happening elsewhere, we're going to stop it."

"Then you will fight by my side? You will avenge my world?" Spectre asked, head rising once more.

"Yes." Will said firmly.

"Ok, hold on. Let's think about this before we sign any blood pacts." Cornelia said. "Kandrakar clearly said we weren't supposed to go in on this."

"Since when do you listen to Kandrakar?" Will asked.

"Remember their reason?" Cornelia said. "This isn't because they're being jerks and don't want us to go, they're scared!"

"And if something scares Kandrakar, it terrifies me." Hay Lin added. "I'm all for vengeance, not so much suicide runs."

"Guys, this is big time. Maybe the biggest." Will said. "We're not talking cities, we're talking worlds. Plural. We have to do something!"

"If we're not willing to fight for millions of people against impossible odds, then we might as well just hang up the wings now." Irma said. "I'm in."

"I vote no, but I'll follow Will." Cornelia said. "Even if I'm not happy about it."

"For the record, I'm a no too." Hay Lin said.

"Majority rules." Will said. "If you guys veto me, then we won't go."

"Then the deciding vote goes to Taranee." Cornelia said.

Taranee looked at her friends from her vantage point beside Spectre. To their credit, neither Will nor Cornelia tried to plead their case. They respected each other too much, and trusted Taranee to make up her own mind. But it wasn't the face of any of her friends that swayed Taranee anyways. It was the face of Spectre. The cold, unblinking facemask, and the pain that lay behind it.

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost even one of you." Taranee began. "I can't even imagine losing a world. It's an atrocity, and someone needs to pay for it."

Taranee stood tall, with a flicker of flame in her eye. Even Cornelia and Hay Lin had to smile.

"Someone will pay." Taranee continued. "Let whoever is responsible for this hear me now. We're the Guardians, we're united, and we're going to fight."


	9. Penance

Chapter 8

Penance

Kandrakar

Taranee nervously peeked out from around the edge of the fold. Her gaze was met by a few passing elders who, surprised as they were, gave the girl little attention. It seemed to her as if each elder moved with purpose, even more so then usual. Quickly, Taranee stepped out into the hallway, closing the fold behind her. As she was peering around for a familiar face, Tibor approached from behind.

"Ah, fire Guardian! How good to see you again!" Tibor said, causing Taranee to jump in surprise.

"Tibor! Good to see you too." Taranee said nervously.

"Shall I alert the Or… er, Himerish to your presence?" Tibor asked.

"Oh, there's no need for that." Taranee answered. "I was just wondering if I could come by to study."

"Study? I'm afraid I don't understand."

Taranee mentally cursed the girls for choosing her to take the trip to Kandrakar. She was by far the worst liar of the group, but she was also the only one who could make the alibi sound legitimate.

"Yes, I want to study in Kandrakar." She said. "I'm realizing how little I know about the universe, and I want to change that."

At least that was the truth, she thought.

"And I'm feeling really unproductive back on Earth, so I though I could come and learn some stuff here."

"A noble ambition." Tibor said. "There is much knowledge to be gained inside the fortress for those who seek it. Where would you like to start?"

"Well, maybe the map room Yan Lin showed us? I should at least know the names of some worlds first." Taranee said.

"An excellent choice! Come, I will lead the way." Tibor said excitedly.

"Actually, I remember the way. And you must be so busy, surely there's better stuff for you to be doing then babysitting me." Taranee said.

"True, true." Tibor said, disappointment etched in his features. "We are so busy at the fortress, I'm afraid I haven't got a minute to spare. And if I can't trust a Guardian, who can I trust?"

Tibor walked away, leaving Taranee feeling about as low as she ever had. It was easy enough to lie to Himerish, and it was even getting easier to lie to Yan Lin, but Tibor? Who had been nothing but kind to the girls since the start? That was tough. Nevertheless, she thought of the greater good, and made her way down the winding staircase, towards the map room.

Thanking her stars the room was unoccupied, Taranee reached deep into her memories. She replicated Yan Lin's movements that she had seen the last time she was here, and activated the universal map. Although handling the map's controls was difficult at first, it became easier as she continued to work.

Names and places flashed before her, and a smile began to cross her face. All of the girls had their strengths, and this was hers. She never felt more comfortable then when she was learning something new. Exploring and seeking out new information relaxed her in ways nothing else could. It satisfied her almost infinite curiosity, and there was so much more she had to learn.

Finally, she found the area of the galaxy they had seen before. She took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. The girls were restless, and they wanted to do something about it. But what little information they had about their mysterious foe did not include a location. Since they couldn't fight what they couldn't find, Taranee was determined to fix the latter.

Her initial plan was to see if there was any pattern with how the worlds were going dark. If this was the work of a sentient creature, then it was possible it was moving in a certain direction. All Taranee had to do was connect the dots. This, however, was all proven unnecessary once Taranee looked at the map. Not only was the path already laid out on the map, proving Kandrakar knew a bit more then they were letting on, but the next planet on the course was flashing red.

Taranee bit her lip, realizing that the flashing indicated a distress call. The girls were hoping to have at least a day to prepare a strategy, but it appeared they wouldn't be that lucky. The creature, if that's what it was, was moving quickly. The Guardians would have to do the same.

Ryliz

The final morning of Ryliz started with screams. She hated screaming. It was the first sound a newborn child made, and often the final sound of a dying man. It signaled beginnings and ends, and she was not a fan of either. So she twirled her silver hair, and tapped her silver toes until, as the hours passed, the screams turned to silence, and the silence into cheers.

As the millions of native Rylizians cheered for the foreigner, she strolled the streets and hills of her latest conquest. This world was not so different from her native Folican. The people had put up more of a resistance, that was for sure, but the rolling hills and sprawling cities reminded her of the place she once called home. Still, this world was no more then a step along the way. Another link in a net that would eventually span the universe. And if her brother had anything to say about that… they would reach a disagreement.

A frown spread across her face. Her mind had become clearer in the past few days. Memories of her sibling were popping up with alarming frequency. The mere thought of him was enough to make her stomach tighten and her fists clench. There was a time when the two had managed to get along, and look where that had gotten them. This time though, she would be independent. This time, she would not rest until she alone ruled the fates.

Meridian

For the first time since Irma had began her visits, Walli was stationary when she appeared on Meridian. He stood atop a small hill, peering down into the forest below. While he made no movement as Irma approached him from behind, Irma was sure Walli was aware of her presence. She took advantage of the few moments of silence to get a good look at Walli's face. As always, it was tough to read the young man, but Irma thought he looked resigned, if nothing else.

"I have been thinking about this 'survivor' you mentioned when you left yesterday." Walli said. "My curiosity has gotten the better of me. Please, explain more."

Irma opened her mouth to protest, ready to point out that he had promised to give information, not the other way around. She stopped herself before she could give voice to her worries. Walli was good to his word, she knew that. And she did owe him some answers.

"Long story short, he's from a distant world, and his people have been wiped out by an unknown force. He wants us to help." Irma explained.

"Then you will be called in to duty?" Walli asked.

"Taranee's doing… recon on Kandrakar, but yeah. Probably tomorrow we're going out to look for this thing, whatever it is." Irma answered.

"I wish you the best of luck." Walli said.

"Thanks. Now, last time I left, you promised me a story." Irma said. "Your story."

"And you will get it." Walli said. "Is there any place you'd like me to start?"

"The beginning?" Irma offered. "What were you like before I met you?"

"I was, as many others like me were back then, a rebel." Walli said.

"You were in the rebellion? I don't remember you. And neither did Caleb." Irma said.

"Caleb's was not the only rebellion, merely the largest and closest to the castle." Walli said. "All around Meridian, good people fought against tyranny, and each with varying levels of success."

"So you were part of your local rebellion? And you fought against Phobos?" Irma asked.

"In a way." Walli replied. "Firstly, I was not just part of our rebellion, I lead it. Secondly, we did not fight Phobos, just his people. It took a while for Phobos's reach to extend as far as our village. When it did, it came in the form of a brute by the name of Kuurg, who was in charge of 'keeping the peace' around these parts, as well as extracting resources from our towering forests. Were it not for our interventions, lumber extraction would have gone unimpeded, and all of Phobos's projects would have been completed that much faster."

"This all sounds very noble and impressive. But it doesn't explain why you're such a boring, grumpy person." Irma said, unable to resist getting a jab in.

"Again, not all rebellions were like Caleb's." Walli said. "Not all benefited from the help of the Guardians. The rest of us had to fight overwhelming odds on our own, and the results were as expected. Our only hope was to start doing hit-and-run raids, chasing off groups of Kuurg's men while avoiding real fights. This, however, was not always something that could be accomplished."

Irma felt the lump building in her throat, as Walli's voice got quieter.

"Eventually, fatigue and desperation got to us. We made mistakes, and we paid for it. Within a year, only half of us remained, and Kuurg did not take prisoners. Then, as Phobos's reign neared the end, Kuurg ran out of patience. The rebellion was protected by our small numbers. We were elusive, hitting in the night, and disappearing during the day. We were almost impossible to find. Our village was not."

Walli jumped down a small ledge and proceeded to make his way down the hill, back into the forest. Irma, as always, was hot on his heels.

"Kuurg figured out the rebellion operated from the village. Before we could act, he had executed the mayor in the town square, and he didn't stop there. Quickly we went from rebels to refugees on our own land. The survivors, including myself, camped in the basements of abandoned houses, where we thought we were safe. Even runs for basic supplies meant risking your life. And sometimes the risk didn't pay off."

Walli stopped at the bottom of the hill, and signaled Irma to do the same. The water Guardian followed Walli's gaze through the trees until it landed on the gate of a small village.

"You said you were going home. Is this what you meant? Is this your village?" Irma asked.

"Yes."

"But I don't understand, why did you leave in the first place?" Irma asked.

"This village would not have suffered as it did were it not for my actions." Walli said. "My rebellion was foolish enough to use it as a base of operations, and that put the village in danger. Perhaps if others had led, our whereabouts would never have been discovered. But lead I did, and I led Kuurg right to this village. Leaving was the least I could do."

"Then why come back?" Irma asked.

"I've asked myself that question many times over the past few days." Walli said. "I knew I must return, but I did not know why. I thought perhaps it was for closure, for redemption or for forgiveness, but I was wrong. I now know why I am here."

Irma watched as Walli strode out from among the trees and headed towards the village entrance.

"Penance."


	10. The Tolling Bell

Chapter 9

The Tolling Bell

Meirz

The first thing the Matt and the Guardians noticed when arriving on Meirz was the smell.

"It smells so… clean." Taranee said, raising her nose.

"Ugh, I don't like it." Irma added, her face wrinkling.

"Well of course you don't, you've never smelt it before." Hay Lin said with a laugh.

"No, I hate to say it, but I'm with Irma." Cornelia said. "It smells like the dentists office."

"How about we focus on our other senses. Namely sight." Will said.

The girls followed Will's example and surveyed the surrounding landscape. They had folded in next to a lake, but one unlike any they had ever seen. The surface of the water was covered with floating, dead creatures. As far as the eye could see, fish and other animals coated the lake's surface so thickly, the girls were pretty sure they could walk on it.

"Well… that's traumatizing." Hay Lin said.

"So, if these are all dead fish, how can it smell clean? Why doesn't it smell like rotting fish?" Matt asked, hesitantly poking a nearby corpse with a stick he had found.

"Because they're not rotting." Taranee said. "Look, they're all in pristine condition."

"At the risk of sounding stupid, shouldn't they be rotting?" Irma asked.

"Yes. I've got a theory why they're not, but I don't think you're going to want to hear it." Taranee said.

"We need all the information we can get Taranee. Lay it on us." Will replied.

"Well, decomposition is caused by bacteria mostly. What if whatever killed the fish killed all the bacteria that would rot it as well? What if everything here died?" Taranee said.

"You're right. I don't like it." Cornelia said. "Who could do something like that?"

"And how are we supposed to fight it?" Matt added. "Remind me why we're here again?"

Heatherfield

10 Minutes Earlier

"We have to go." Taranee said, bursting into the Silver Dragon's basement.

"I knew you'd say that." Irma said. "You don't normally call an emergency meeting to say 'don't worry, nothing's wrong'. So what's the something?"

"Our worst fears." Taranee said. "Whatever happened to Spectre's world, I'm pretty sure it's happening elsewhere. And there's a pattern."

"So it's a someone then. Great." Will said, her shoulders slumping.

"And we know where it is? Or where it will be?" Matt asked.

"The next planet in line is sending out a distress call. I don't think that's a coincidence." Taranee said.

"Kandrakar's getting distress signals and they're not telling us?" Cornelia asked. "Man, first they make us do too much, now not enough!"

"Well now that we know, we have to move." Will said. "Doesn't matter what the threat, if there's innocent people in trouble, we have to try to help. We're Guardians, it's what we do."

"Glad to hear your enthusiasm, young warrior. When do we leave?"

Will turned to see Spectre making his way out of the corner of the basement. He had been listening silently up to this point, and Will had almost forgotten he was there.

"Woah, who's we?" Will replied. "You're not going anywhere."

"What? But this is the creature that destroyed my planet, killed my people! I…"

Spectre noticed the girls looking at his hands, and he followed their gaze to see a bright red glow coming from each one. In panic, he shook his arms wildly until the glow disappeared.

"Case in point." Will said. "You can't even control your power here, I doubt you'll be able to control it when you're screaming for revenge."

"But I can still help. I can control my power, I know…" Spectre began in vain.

"I appreciate what you want to do, but the odds are long enough as it is. The last thing I need is you going off like a time bomb in the middle of a fight!" Will said, staring Spectre into submission.

The markings of Spectre's mask quivered with counter-arguments, but none of them were voiced. Something about the look in the girl's eye was enough to silence any thoughts he had of arguing.

"Alright then, the rest of us need to suit up." Will said. "It's time to go."

Meirz

"We're here because we have to try." Will said. "Something. Anything. But this can't be allowed to continue."

"Well it's not going to stop if we just sit around staring at some dumb lake." Cornelia said.

The girls followed Will's cue and took to the skies. As they soared over mountains and plains, the story remained the same. The ground was scorched brown, with not a blade of green to be found. They flew for several minutes, before Hay Lin silenced the group with a hasty hush.

"I hear something on the air." Hay Lin said, hand cupped to her ear. "It sounds like… screaming."

"Let me guess, we're heading towards the screaming?" Irma said, shoulders slumped.

"We always do." Will replied.

With a burst of speed, the group followed Hay Lin, until they reached what appeared to be a large city, similar to the ones on Meridian. Fires burned throughout the streets, but the crackling wood did little to cover the screams coming from the city center.

Cornelia was the first to catch sight of a small group of people huddled against a broken wall. The object of their torment was a wave of black creatures steadily approaching their position. Cornelia quickly landed on the ground and erected a large stone wall between predator and prey. Taranee followed this up with a wave of fire, destroying the black creatures.

"Wait! Look!" Matt shouted, landing next to Taranee.

Taranee did look, first at the family huddling next to the wall, and then at the black creatures, whose reinforcements had arrived. Both had the same, small bodies covered in thick hair from head to toe. The only difference was the hue. The creatures were pitch black, while the terrified civilians were all various colors.

"You're saying these creatures are the people of this planet?" Taranee said.

"Far as we can tell, yeah." Matt replied. "So avoid killing them if you can. But don't let them touch you either. One touch and my wing was shot for hours."

"Well we can't do both." Hay Lin said. "These things are everywhere, and non-lethal methods can only do so much."

"They're just a symptom." Taranee said. "We need to stop the root of this problem. Why are these things here at all?"

"Offhand? I'd say he knows something about it." Irma said, pointing up at the sky.

The girls turned Irma's direction just in time to witness a dark figure descending from above. Its features were clouded by the darkened sky, but the texture of his skin was similar to that of the creatures the girls were fighting. Will, of course, had already gone into the air to confront him.

"Who are you? Are you the one responsible for what's happening on this world?" Will demanded once she reached the man's height.

"You are… unique. I have met nothing like you in this incarnation." The man said, studying Will carefully.

Will took the time to get a closer look the man in front of her. He was humanoid for the most part, with large green eyes and only four fingers being the only distinguishing features. His skin was shiny and black, and he was a simple but practical black outfit.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" Will said, hoping the fear within her wasn't translated in her voice.

"I am known by many names on many worlds." The man answered.

"How about you cut to the chase and give me a name I'll know." Will said.

"Patience my dear, patience. Trust me, no one has more of it then I do." The man replied. "You may call me Death."

"Dea- Really? Death?" Will said, slightly taken aback.

"Did I just hear we're fighting Death?" Hay Lin said as the others joined Will in the air.

"Got to be honest, not okay with that." Cornelia added.

"It's just a name guys. I don't think he means the literal embodiment Death." Will said, before turning back to the man. "Uh, do you?"

"Yes." Death said calmly.

"Yeah, well if you're Death, I guess that makes us life." Irma said defiantly.

"No, I've met Life. None of you are her." Death replied. "And Death is not my name or my title, it merely is me. A simple statement of my existence. It is who I am, and what I bring is it's sweet release."

"Then these creatures down there? Are they all…?" Matt said.

"They are the beings I have helped, yes." Death said. "Transformed into their pure energy forms upon their release from their mortal coil. A much more peaceful existence, I'm sure you'll find. And once in this state, they are mine to lead."

"But… They were alive! You've killed them all?" Taranee stammered, stunned by this information.

"Yes I killed them all, that's what I just said." Death answered, beginning to look annoyed. "Typical of you living beings to not listen. Imagine my horror when I returned to find life rampant through out the universe like an unchecked plague."

"But life is not a plague! It's precious, and to be protected!" Hay Lin argued.

"You sound just like my sister." Death said with a sigh. "How tiresome. It's always much simpler when you have passed on. Then you understand."

"Um, speaking of that, why aren't we dead? You didn't hesitate to kill all of them, I'm sure." Will said. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Actually, I was wondering that myself. You should have died long before now." Death said. "Something is protecting you from my aura. Without further information, I'd hazard a guess that it is the strange glowing object around you neck."

Will grimaced and instinctively looked down. She had tried to hide it, but the Heart was getting heavier and hotter with each passing second, and its increasing glow could not be hidden.

"No matter. Soon I will breach it." Death said, turning his back on the girls.

"Now wait just a second." Will said. "We will defend life to the end. We will stop you."

Death paused, before slowly turning back around.

"Please, you play a game with rules you cannot hope to grasp. You are not fit to even be pieces on our board, let alone a player. Stop, before you find there are fates far worse then life or death."

"Sorry, not an option!" Cornelia said.

With a wave, Cornelia shot a stone block the size of a house up from the ground directly under Death. He didn't have a chance to react before the stone hit him squarely, exploding into a cloud of dust. However, when the dust had settled, Death remained, his posture and expression unchanged.

Taranee was next to go, launching a torrent of white-hot flame at the man, until the air itself crackled with heat. After almost a minute of this, the flame receded, and Death remained. Next, Irma and Hay Lin used both of their powers at once, sending Death from a burning state to a frozen one. Without moving a muscle, the man shattered his icy prison, sending Irma and Hay Lin flying backwards.

"Please, there is no point in this." The man said, staring at Will.

"We're not done yet." Will said through gritted teeth.

Summoning all she could muster, Will fired a blast of quintessence energy at Death. For the first time, the man twitched, ever so slightly as the blast hit. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give Will hope.

"How… irritating." The man said, anger in his voice. "You still pose no threat, but power like that will serve me well. Your time has come."

Before Will could move, twin black beams shot out of Death's chest, aimed directly at Will. Will braced for impact, but none came. Instead, a pink shield of energy appeared in front of her, protecting her from the blast.

"Most curious." Death said calmly, continuing to fire the beams.

Will wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she retaliated with a shot of her own, channeling her energy into Death. Matt and the rest of the girls followed suit, attacking with everything they had. Nothing had any effect.

Will watched with increasing alarm as black tendrils began snaking their way through her shield. As more and more advanced, she could feel the air grow cold around her. Her limbs began going dumb, and her eyelids fluttered.

"Will!"

Will snapped back to attention at the sound of Matt's voice. The battle was lost, she was wise enough to know that. The only thing they could do now was live to fight the war. Thinking quickly, and as the black wisps of energy continued to advance, she grabbed the heart and slashed through the air. A fold appeared in front of her, cutting off the beams. The girls didn't need to be told what the plan was. As quickly as they could, they dove through the fold and back to Earth, Will leaving only when everyone else was clear. The man called Death watched with bemused interest as the Guardians disappeared from sight, safe for now.


	11. Double Trouble

Chapter 10

Double Trouble

Heatherfield

Will tumbled out of the fold and rolled onto the floor of the Silver Dragon. She grabbed at the Heart, throwing it across the floor, where it slid into the corner. Getting to her knees, she looked at her hands, which were steaming red from holding the burning hot Heart of Kandrakar. Irma quickly covered Will's hands in a stream of cold water.

"Thanks." Will said, struggling to her feet.

"So, recap anyone?" Cornelia said, leaning against a nearby wall. "What just happened?"

"We got our butts handed to us." Taranee said. "Nothing we had did a thing to him."

"Even the toughest baddies we've faced in the past at least reacted to our powers. This guy just took it." Hay Lin added.

"Except for Will. It looked like her lightning made him flinch." Matt said.

"And look where that got me." Will said. "He was barely tickled by my attacks, and the only thing I could do against his was…"

"Run away?"

Will turned to see Spectre approaching from a nearby corner, Heart of Kandrakar in his hand.

"Now you know my choice, and my shame." He said, handing Will the Heart.

"Ok, nobody's shaming anyone." Irma interrupted. "I for one am kind of glad that we chose survival over certain death."

"Irma's right. I'd rather fight tomorrow then die today." Taranee said.

"Doesn't change the facts." Will said. "There's a world that doesn't exist anymore because we couldn't win a fight. Because we had to run away."

"And they'll be ten more worlds that are glad we did." Matt replied, putting a hand on Will's shoulder.

A ringing cell phone interrupted anything else Matt had to say. Will pulled hers out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID.

"Kandrakar." She said wearily. "That can't be a coincidence."

"Maybe they're thanking us?" Hay Lin offered.

The looks on the faces of the other girls suggested they disagreed.

"Well, answer it anyway." Hay Lin said with a sigh.

With dread, Will answered the phone.

"Hello?" She said.

"Kandrakar. Now." Came Yan Lin's voice from the other end.

Simultaneously, the call ended and a fold opened up, no doubt leading to the fortress.

"This is not going to be fun." Taranee said as the girls entered the fold.

Kandrakar

Taranee had only been sent to the principal's office once. It had been in second grade, and it hadn't been for anything serious, all she had done was throw stones at a bully, but Taranee still remembered it well. She remembered how nervous she had been, and the fear she had felt. It was the exact same fear as she felt now, walking towards Yan Lin and Himerish. If the rest of the girls felt the same way, they hid it well.

Both Yan Lin and Himerish looked even more impressive then usual, framed against the large stone columns of the Kandrakar council room. Despite the firm glares in front of them, Will confidently lead her team forward. As Taranee watched the long purposeful stride of her friend, she began to realize something. They were no longer students answering to their teachers. They were, now more then ever, Guardians. And they would be treated as such.

Will had steeled herself for whatever onslaught of criticism awaited them, but what happened instead caught her quite off guard. Once the Guardians had stopped a few meters away from Yan Lin and Himerish, the former rushed forward and gave her granddaughter a large hug.

"Thank goodness you're all safe!" Yan Lin said, holding Hay Lin tightly.

"Um, ok. This is a much nicer reaction then I was expecting." Hay Lin said, returning the hug.

"Wait for it…" Irma said.

"And don't you ever do that again! Or I'll ground you for the rest of eternity! I'm an Elder, I can do that!" Yan Lin shouted, wagging a finger in her granddaughters face.

"There it is." Irma said.

"I take it you know what happened." Will said, focusing on Himerish.

"To a degree." Himerish replied. "We know where you went, but we did not see what happened there. The cost of affording you privacy, I suppose."

"Well, break out the textbooks, because we've got some questions we want answered." Will said.

"I'm afraid you don't get to ask questions right now." Himerish said. "You waved that right when you disobeyed our instructions and needlessly risked your life!"

"Hold on a second!" Will replied. "That world was dying, and you knew it! How could we stand by and do nothing?"

"Tell me Will, did you save that world? Or did it still die?" Himerish asked.

"It died." Will admitted. "But at least we tried! At least we did something!"

"Do you take us as fools?" Himerish shouted back, louder then the Guardians had ever heard him. "Do you see us as dour old men and women, wandering the hallways of Kandrakar aimlessly, thinking of ways to make your life miserable? Twiddling our thumbs while the universe burns around us?"

The Guardians stood in stunned silence, not knowing how to answer, so Himerish continued.

"The most important thing in any fight and in any war is knowledge. Knowledge is power. You walked onto a world you knew nothing about, to face a foe you know nothing about. Therefore, you went in powerless."

"Except we do have some other powers." Hay Lin interrupted. "And they didn't do anything."

"Up to now, you have relied solely on your elemental abilities." Himerish replied. "And up to now, they have sufficed. But now you face foes on a completely different scale then those before them. These are not enemies you can simply blow away with a gust of wind."

"At least we tried to fight." Will said weakly.

"Fight a battle you could not win, yet easily could have lost." Himerish said. "Imagine if you hadn't come back, if you hadn't survived. Not only would that world have died, as it did anyway, but every other world would have eventually shared its grim fate. Now, since knowledge is power, share what you have learned with us."

Will clenched her fists and bit her lip. She wanted to scream, and unleash the pent up energy inside, but she couldn't. Like it or not, the only thing she could do to help anyone was to do as Himerish said and explain what happened. So that was what she would do.

"He called himself Death." She began. "And it seemed like he could live up to the name. He was a bit abstract, but it seemed as if he was… I don't know, converting people? He was killing people on worlds, and then controlling them after they died. Or something."

"And he was pretty formidable on his own." Taranee added. "We threw everything we had at him, and it didn't make a mark."

"You want to add anything to that?" Irma asked. "Do you know who this guy is?"

"Perhaps…" Yan Lin said.

"Not really." Himerish interrupted. "We have theories, and precious little else at this point. But your knowledge is helpful. We have been tracking both of the entities, and gathering as much information as we can. Only once we are sure of a strategy will we act."

"Will, I know it seems as if we are sacrificing worlds by waiting, but we are looking at the big picture here." Yan Lin said. "If we are correct, then we are dealing with something far greater then anything we have ever faced before. Rushing in without the proper information will only lead to greater loss of life, including our own."

Will wasn't listening any more. She had keyed into a word that Himerish had said, and what that word potentially meant. Just by looking at her friends, she could tell they had heard it too.

"'Both'? What did you mean, Himerish, when you said both entities?" She asked.

Himerish and Yan Lin looked at each other with worried looks.

"Are you saying that the man we fought today is not alone? That this is happening somewhere else too?" Hay Lin asked.

"You know, for someone who says 'knowledge is power', you seeming to be keeping a lot of knowledge hidden." Taranee added.

"You are correct." Himerish said, his head lowered. "We were withholding information from you. We did not want to worry you any more then you were, and we weren't sure it was relevant."

"There is another event occurring, similar to the wave of destruction caused by this Death being." Yan Lin said. "World after world is going silent, and the pattern suggests a sentient being."

"Another Death? Same as the guy we met today?" Irma asked.

"We're not sure. But we have an idea." Himerish said.

"And that idea is?" Will asked.

"We'd rather not say until we are sure." Himerish replied. "There are many things we are not certain of at this point, and we feel no information is better then misinformation. I would not want you to act foolishly on incomplete data."

Will had to agree with this. No doubt whatever beings were powerful enough to get Kandrakar this nervous were complex people. No sense in memorizing one set of lore only to have to throw it out in favor of another one later.

"As difficult as it may seem girls, we are asking you to be patient." Yan Lin said. "Trust our experience with these matters, that waiting is the best option. We want this dealt with just as much as you do."

"Please Guardians. We are your allies. Although we have given you little reason to do so in the past, we ask you to trust us." Himerish said.

Will hesitated. Every cell in her body wanted to go back and fight Death once more. They had fought hard odds in the past, and they had always found a way to win. Surely this time was no different. She looked at her team, only to see her own uncertain face reflected in theirs. Once more, they were willing to follow, if she was willing to lead.

"Ok." She said at last. "I don't like it, but we'll play by your rules. For now. We won't go after this guy… sorry, guys until you say so."

Will tried to sound confident in her decision, but she knew many restless nights were ahead.

Unknown

Gabriella, or Gabe as her friends called her, was an ordinary woman. She was born to ordinary parents, in an ordinary city. They had had ordinary jobs, her father an executive and her mother a teacher, and she had had an ordinary childhood. She had found an ordinary job, a teacher like her mother, and married an ordinary man. Together, they had two ordinary children, who live in an ordinary house. In her entire life, Gabe had never done or been anything other ordinary. Until two weeks ago.

Two weeks ago, she had started having dreams, dreams that were not ordinary, but were unique to her, even if she did not know it. At first, she thought nothing of it, but as the days went on, the dreams began occurring with disturbing regularity. Every night, without fail, she dreamed of a man in black, a woman in white, and worlds she had never seen before. She had kept these dreams to herself, not wanting to alarm her husband or her children. After all, it couldn't be anything too significant, things like that didn't happen to her. She was simply ordinary.


	12. The High Road

Chapter 11

The High Road

Meridian

Irma folded to the edge of the forest, where the walls of the nearby village could just be seen. Dressed in a robe she had borrowed from Meridian Castle, she carefully approached the small village, walking slowly through the front gates. She wasn't sure what to expect from Walli's village, given how little the man had said about his home. She was pleased to find that at first glance, the village was pleasant, as were its citizens.

As she walked through the cobblestone streets, she felt as if she was in a fairy tale. If she was expecting war torn ruins and bitter survivors, she found none. Instead, old women swept off walkways, merchants sold their goods to whoever would come near, and everyone gave her a smile. Even the children who ran past her feet seemed to be cheerful. With cautious optimism, Irma approached a nearby vendor, who appeared to be selling something that smelled like fish.

"Well hello there." The man behind the counter said, giving Irma a toothy grin. "What can I get for you? I've got Mudfish, Yellow-Bellies, Kippers. You look like you could use a Kipper!"

"No, thank you." Irma said, resisting the urge to wretch. "I'm actually looking for information."

"Oh." The man said dejectedly, his grin fading along with his chances of a sale. "What kind of information."

"I'm looking for a man." Irma said.

"Well I can help you with that." The man said with a wink.

"Uh, no. A specific man. His name is Walli." Irma said.

"Oh, Walli? Yeah, I know where he's at." The man said. "The Wood Elf Inn. Second floor, room 23."

Irma thanked the man and left, her brow furrowed as she walked the direction he had pointed. She had expected the search to take some time, but instead had found suspiciously precise directions. She could only wonder what Walli had gotten up to in the day she had been away.

Irma soon found the swinging sign upon which was written 'The Wood Elf', and entered the inn. Inside, a man played the lute while couples eat, drank and laughed. While wondering what the age restrictions were like on Meridian, she approached the bar, where a woman was wiping down the counter.

"What can I get you honey?" The woman said, glancing up.

"I'm looking for a man by the name of Walli." Irma said.

"Oh, Walli? My, my, news does travel fast." The woman said. "I can tell you he's in room 23, because I'm sure someone else will tell you anyway. But he's asked not to be disturbed I'm afraid."

"Well, you don't always get what you want." Irma said, striding towards the stairs.

"Wait! You're not Irma, are you?" The woman asked.

Irma stopped in her tracks and slowly turned, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I am. How did you know?" She said.

"He mentioned you. Said you were the only one who could go on up." The bartender said.

Irma could help but feel a little proud as she climbed the steps to the second floor. But any pride she felt in her unique status as an allowed visitor vanished as she approached the door marked 23. She sharply knocked three times on the door, listening carefully for any sound of movement inside. There was none.

"It's Irma." She said hesitantly.

"The door isn't locked." Came a familiar voice from inside.

She pushed on the wooden door, and it swung open with ease. Inside, she found Walli standing in front of the window, staring down at the street below. The sunlight reflected through the glass was the only source of light in the room.

"Nice place you got here." Irma said, taking a look around. "The village and the room."

"You had no problem finding me?" Walli asked, not turning around.

"You kidding? Everybody knew you, and everybody knew where you were. You're quite the celebrity." Irma said.

"Yes, no doubt my name frequently crosses the lips of those in this town. They probably curse it as they weep over fallen sons and daughters."

"Oh. Ok. That's a bit different then the vibe I was getting." Irma said. "You want to talk about it?"

"Not overly." Walli replied. "I came here seeking absolution for my sins. Now I worry it is not to be found within these city walls."

"Ok, I'm a little confused here." Irma said. "This seems to be the nicest, cutest little town this side of a Christmas special, and you're acting like you've just leapt out of a Shakespeare tragedy. Serious disconnect here. How about you come downstairs, we have a drink and head back to the castle, instead of you moping around like the world is ending."

"Look." Walli said, beckoning Irma to the window. "There are 150 people living in this village today."

"Okay. Good to know." Irma said, not fully understanding.

"See these houses?" Walli said.

Irma followed Walli's gaze, and was surprised to see row after row of houses stretch into the distance. There were many more then Irma thought necessary in a village this small.

"In any direction you care to look, the view will be the same. There are more houses in this village then people. Why would that be?" Walli asked.

"Because there used to be a lot more people." Irma said, beginning to understand.

"More then twice what there is today. But that was before Kuurg razed the city. Before I came." Walli said.

"Oh, come on!" Irma said, rolling her eyes. "You said it yourself, Kuurg was responsible for what happened to this town, not you. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Finally, Walli turned to face Irma, but the girl saw a fury and passion in his eyes unlike any she had seen in him before.

"You know nothing of my plight!" He snapped. "For you, life is nothing but a joke! Something to laugh at, not to struggle through as it is for me. What do you know of hardships? Of failures, and of loss?"

"Hey pal, I know plenty about failure! I just have different ways of dealing with it." Irma shouted back. "You think I don't want to do what you're doing? Run away, and hide in a room and let the world spin on without me? Every day I want that! I got problems and I can't deal with them, so I laugh it off. Not because it helps me, but for the people around me. They've got enough problems without worrying about mine."

"Is that what I am to you? A burden? Another worry in the night?" Walli asked.

"Honestly? Yeah, right now you are." Irma replied. "I care about you Walli. I tried not to, but I do anyway. And for whatever reason, you're going through something serious right now. I don't know what it is, but it's hurting you, and I want to help. I'm trying to help Walli, but I don't know how."

"So I should do as you do? Laugh the pain away and pretend it doesn't exist?" Walli asked.

"Hey, that doesn't work for everyone. So no, probably not." Irma said. "But there is a way to deal with this. You just have to find your way."

"And if there is no way? If I'm beyond help?" Walli asked.

"I don't believe that." Irma said firmly. "But I can only help if you let me. Will you let me?"

Walli silently turned back to the window, but it was enough of an answer for Irma. With a heavy Heart, she opened a fold back to Heatherfield.

"Good luck Walli." She said, one foot through the fold. "And goodbye."

And with that, she disappeared.

Kandrakar

"We simply have to stop meeting like this."

Himerish hid a grin as he welcomed Taranee once more into the council room. It was still weird for Taranee to hear the normally stoic Himerish to try his hand at a joke, but it did help to lighten the mood.

"But we have been seeing a lot of you lately, haven't we Taranee?" Himerish said, slightly more seriously this time. "Sometimes because you've been invited, and sometimes you come when we don't even know you're here."

Now it was Taranee's turn to smile. She had hardly forgotten her trip to Kandrakar a few days ago, when she had snuck in to find the location of their foe. She may not be used to breaking the rules, but Taranee still loved pulling one over on someone, even a supposed ally.

"Well this time it's neither. I'm not invited, but you know I'm here." She replied calmly.

"I do." Himerish replied. "And I eagerly await the why."

Taranee mulled over her response, choosing her words carefully.

"I'm here because I've matured." She said. "I've been a Guardian for almost four years now. And this is hardly the first time Kandrakar and I have had a difference of agreement on what the Guardians should be doing, and who we should be fighting. Before, as recently as this week even, we would have snuck around you back and made sure we did things our way."

"Should I tell the Elders to be on the lookout for Irma, wandering the hallways and up to no good?" Himerish asked.

"No. There are no tricks this time. I just want to talk." Taranee replied.

"About?" Himerish asked hesitantly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Taranee said. "There is a man out there who calls himself Death. He is literally death personified, and that is not an exaggeration. And yet you would have us stay on Earth and do nothing while he tears a path across the universe."

"As I have explained…" Himerish began, but Taranee put out a hand to stop him.

"Hey, I'm not arguing." Taranee said. "You've given us your reasons, and I have to say, they're pretty valid. Rushing headlong into battle against a god-like force isn't high on my wish list either. But still, we have to do something."

"I sense you have an idea. Would you like to share it?" Himerish said, getting impatient.

"We go, not to fight, but to rescue." Taranee said. "We go to whatever poor planet he's on, and we bring as many people to safety as possible. There are still millions of people out there in danger, but maybe we can save a few thousand. And who knows? Maybe we get some information on this guy while we're there."

"It's… feasible." Himerish said. "But the risk would still be great. You have no idea the power you are dealing with. Do you still think you could pull this 'rescue mission' off?"

"I do."

"And why should I trust you?" Himerish said bluntly. "How do I know you won't start up a fight with Death once you are there. Irma and Hay Lin in particular are a bit impulsive to say the least."

"Trust us because of this. If you say 'no', if you forbid us from going, then we won't. We'll stay home and sit on our hands, no matter how much it eats us up inside." Taranee said. "This is not a trick. There is no espionage or subterfuge. This is a conversation. I am presenting my idea, and you will act on it accordingly. I just hope you trust us to do our job."

Himerish pondered this for several minutes. Taranee did her best not to look nervous, but it was getting harder with every passing second.

"Very well." Himerish said at last. "We are in the business of preserving life, and I will not deny you the opportunity to do just that. Save who you can, but do not underestimate your opponent."

"Oh, I've got no plans of doing that." Taranee said with a smile, turning to leave.

"Oh, and Taranee?" Himerish said, stopping the girl in her tracks. "Thank you for doing it this way. There was a time I would not thought such maturity possible from you girls."

"Hey, you opened with a joke." Taranee said with a smile. "I guess we're not the only ones who have changed over the years."

"No. I suppose not." Himerish said with a smile. But Taranee had already left to gather the Guardians.


	13. Salvage

Chapter 12

Salvage

Walli had spent almost 48 hours in his room of The Wood Elf inn before venturing outside. The two days of silent contemplation had not cleared his mind the way he had hoped. Instead, he grew restless and uneasy, and frustration forced his feet into action. He had wandered north of the town, feeling the stares on his back and the muttered whispers as they followed him down the narrow streets. Still, he had kept walking until he found himself at a large metal gate, upon which the word Cemetery was written.

He strolled the tombstones, reading each name aloud, letting it roll off his tongue and through his memories. He remembered each name, each face and each story. Some he knew well, others only vaguely, but he said each one. As far as he knew, only the dead heard his voice.

His heart jumped when he heard the familiar sound of an opening fold behind him.

"I didn't expect you to come back." He said, keeping his gaze steady on the nearest tombstone.

"Neither did I." Irma said, approaching Walli.

"Then why did you?"

Irma glanced around, thinking about her response. She wasn't sure what she had expected to find, but a graveyard did nothing to boost her confidence.

"Because you're a friend." She said. "And while things don't usually go my way, I'm seeing this through to the end."

"And if there is no end to be found?" Walli asked.

Irma didn't answer, instead focusing on the tombstone directly in front of Walli.

"Visiting a friend?" She asked.

"One hundred of them." Walli answered. "Or more. I'm afraid I lost count after a while. At a certain point, numbers start to lose meaning."

"Then all these people, they died…"

"During the war." Walli finished. "By my hand. If not directly, then through my actions and my leadership."

"To protect their home." Irma said.

"When you defeated Phobos, Kuurg would have left regardless. Had I waited, these people would be alive today. But I thought I could lead, and I thought I could win. I fought a selfish war, and they paid the price."

"They fought because they chose too, not because you made them." Irma said. "If you asked them, don't you think they would be proud of what the village is now?"

Walli turned to Irma for the first time since she had arrived. His eyes were weary and bloodshot, and Irma wasn't sure when he had last slept. Still, there was coldness to them as well, and it pierced through Irma.

"We'll never know." He said.

Irma opened her mouth, but had nothing to say. It was then she realized they weren't alone at the graveyard. A couple of rows away, an older woman and a young boy were standing in front of a grave, flowers in their hands. They kept their gaze focused on the tombstone, but it was clear they were listening to Irma's conversation. Walli glanced up at them briefly, only to turn away just as quickly. Slowly, the woman and the boy headed in their direction.

"I know you, don't I?" The woman said as they approached. "You're Walli, aren't you? You fought in the war!"

"That was a long time ago ma'am." Walli said, still looking at the ground.

"Did you know my son?" The woman asked. "Spencer was his name. A little short, red hair?"

"Spencer. A good man. He was part of our secondary scout team. He liked to build things. He would take the wood from the battlefield and make little boxes out of them. Then he'd keep little souvenirs from each battle in them. Caught him cutting of the toe of a fallen enemy once to keep." Walli said.

"We still have them." The woman said with a smile. "The boxes line our mantle piece."

"I'm so sorry for what I did to him." Walli said.

"Why? You have no need to be sorry." She replied.

"Stop! I have no need for your pity or your sympathy. This… he is my legacy! All these graves, all these coffins… they are my handiwork. I am responsible for every tomb you see!" Walli shouted.

"Tombstones aren't the only things here." The woman said.

She saw the confused look on Walli's face, and pointed to the far end of the field, where a large statue stood. As the group approached the statue, Walli and Irma began to see some familiar features.

"It's… It's you!" Irma said.

"Why? Why is there a statue of me here!" Walli shouted.

"It honors those who fought in the war. And the man who led them to victory." The woman said. "I would give anything to have my son back, and I want those who killed him to suffer. But you did not kill him. You should not suffer."

"This isn't right." Walli said. "This isn't how it should be! Don't you realize who I am? What I did? There should be no statue's of me!"

Irma watched as Walli pulled an arrow out of his quiver, and notched his bow. Irma realized too late what his target was, and had no chance to stop the shot. The arrow hit the statue square between the eyes, shattering the head and spraying stone across the field. Both the woman and the young boy recoiled in horror, but Irma was too mad to do anything but yell.

"What is wrong with you!" She said.

"They…"

"No, there is no 'they', Walli." Irma interrupted. "They have forgiven you. Everyone has forgiven you! The only who still has a problem with you, is you! You said you came here for forgiveness, for redemption, but 'they' can't give it to you. Only you can, and you came to the wrong place, Walli. You should have looked inside instead."

"Irma…" Walli began, but the young girl put up a hand to stop him.

"Look, I got stuff to do Walli. Saving the universe stuff." Irma said. "And you don't need me anyways. You're your own worst enemy. And you're the only one who can fight that."

And with that Irma disappeared into the waiting fold.

Heatherfield

"Boys are so dumb!" Irma shouted as she exited the fold and stepped into the basement of the Silver Dragon. "No offense Matt."

"Hey, no argument here. I don't know what any of you see in us." Matt said with a shrug.

"He's just so, so… Arg! It's enough to drive me nuts!" Irma continued, pacing madly.

"Well, if you're done with… whatever that was, we need to get a move on." Taranee said.

"Yeah, yeah, out of the frying pan." Irma mumbled.

"Uh, I know time is ticking, but we should probably have some kind of plan before we go to the world with the planet eating death monster on it." Cornelia said.

"Safety first." Will said. "If there's the slightest chance you don't come out alive, then don't go in. This guy's already has taken out who knows how many worlds. I hate to say it, but let's not risk a billion more worlds trying to save one. Be smart."

"Cheerful. But we have to save some people, right?" Hay Lin said.

"If we can." Will replied, opening a fold. "And stay near me. Whatever power he has, the Heart seemed to deflect it."

"With any luck we won't even run into him." Taranee said, stepping into the fold.

"Yeah, but when do we ever get luck." Irma replied.

Unknown World

The first thing the girls felt upon arriving on the distant world was the strong wind hitting their faces. The gusts whipped across the open plain that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Hay Lin? You want to do something about this?" Will asked, struggling to stay in the air.

"On it." Hay Lin replied, creating a protective bubble around the group.

"This wind must be why this world is so… flat." Taranee said. "It's all been eroded away."

"As interesting as that is, can we skip the geology lesson? Where are the people we're supposed to save?" Irma said.

"I can't protect us from the wind and use my super hearing thing at the same time." Hay Lin said. "Cornelia?"

"On it."

Cornelia dropped down and put her ear to the ground. She listened to the ground move with both her body and spirit until she heard something familiar.

"Over there! I can hear something big." Cornelia said, pointing in the distance.

The Guardians followed the finger until eventually they saw faint lights in the distance.

"A city!" Hay Lin shouted excitedly.

"Kind of." Will added.

The city, or more accurately, village consisted of little more then a series of dirt huts built out of the ground. The girls watched as hooded figures darted in and out, chased by similar looking dark creatures.

"Well, we're in the right place." Will said.

"And it's a big planet. Hopefully Death is on the other side of it." Taranee added.

"Ok, Taranee, Hay Lin and Cornelia, you play defense. Set up a parameter and don't let any of these black buggers cross it. Irma, help me round up the people we can, and try to get them into the fold." Will said.

"Aw, why don't I get the fun job?" Irma said, following her friend.

For a few minutes, the plan went off without a hitch. The girls worked in perfect union, keeping those turned by Death's touch from those who hadn't. Before long, steady streams of people were heading through the portal and into the waiting arms of Kandrakar. But just as Will dared to hope everything would be as simple as she had imagined, she heard Hay Lin's voice calling from below.

"We've got incoming!"

Will turned to where her friend was pointing to see a black object approaching in the distance. Before she could even get a bead on what the object was, Death arrived at a fantastic speed.

"Foolish creatures. Did you really think I had forgotten you? That I wouldn't know the second you landed upon this world? That I would let you take my children away from me?" He asked.

Will clenched her fists, and readied herself for a fight she knew she could not win.


	14. The Dance of Death

Chapter 13

The Dance of Death

Will did her best to quickly analyze the situation. The sky had gone dark with Death's presence, but the fleeing people below could still be seen clearly. The rest of the Guardians had seen Death arrive, and were doing their best to focus on their assigned task while keeping an eye on Will. Even some of the planet's citizens had managed to stop running towards the fold long enough to see the orchestrator of their doom.

For Will though, it was hard to take her eyes off the towering figure before her. She wasn't sure if she was merely getting a better look at him, or if he was actually bigger then before. Darkness radiated off of him, concealing whatever features he had. The cloak he wore swelled and swayed with his voice, and his eyes pierced through Will. As impressive as he looked, Will refused to back down.

"That I would let you take my children away from me?" He asked Will.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Will replied.

While her lips said one thing, her mind said another. She had linked in telepathically with the girls, and was giving them orders at the same time she talked with Death.

"_So much for the calm and orderly evacuation." _Irma thought.

"_Agreed. Just get everyone out as fast as you can." _Will replied. "_Cornelia, you thinking what I'm thinking?"_

"_Of course." _Cornelia said.

Will didn't dare to watch down as Cornelia lifted the Earth from below what had previously been a line of innocents and hurled it unceremoniously into the fold. The hundreds of people standing on top of the stone flew in with it. They would suffer their share of cuts and bruises, but it would be a better fate then the one awaiting them here. Death did not seem to notice, and Will was relieved to find they could still slip one past him.

"_Good work. Now let's get out of here." _Will said, ready to bolt. "_Wait, I think this guy has finally stopped talking."_

"…That is what you face, mortal! That is the true nature of my power! And neither you, nor my sister will stop me! I have waited too long for this day!" Death said, winding up his speech.

"Whatever you say buddy." Will said, wondering if she shouldn't have paid a bit more attention to what he had been saying.

"_Will, you need to buy a few more seconds!" _Taranee said. "_I have to do one thing before we go."_

"_What? Now? What could possibly…" _Will began

"_Just do it!" _Taranee yelled back, causing Will's head to ache.

"Then you would dare to oppose me?" Death shouted over the wind.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure." Will replied, still trying to figure out what Taranee was thinking.

"Then your price must be paid!" Death said.

Will avoided the blast on pure instinct alone. She flew as fast as she could, weaving in and out of buildings with skill and speed that could only be gathered through years of training. Death caught her in seconds. Before Will could defend herself, Death began to wrap his hands around her neck. Only a thin layer of energy protected Will from his fatal touch. And once more, the Heart grew heavy around her neck.

"_Will, shut your eyes!"_

Will did as she was told, mere seconds before a ball of blinding light, courtesy of Taranee, exploded between the pair. For a split second, Death's grip relaxed, and once more Will's instinct kicked in. She hit Death with everything she had, and he flinched just enough for Will to break free.

"_Please tell me we can go home now!" _Will said.

"_Yeah, let's go!" _Taranee replied.

Will put everything she had into one last burst of speed. Buildings and Earth blended together before her, and with only inches to spare she shot through the fold, closing it immediately behind her.

Kandrakar

Will slid across the stone tiles, grinding to a halt only as she collided with the distant wall. She shook her head clear, and surveyed her surroundings, only to find hundreds of shrouded eyes staring back. Not only were the Guardians and Matt now huddling around her and helping her too her feet, but a large crowd of hooded figures, refugees from the planet, watched intently at Will's every move. And of course, Himerish and Yan Lin stood waiting.

"Did we win?" Will said groggily, shaking her head clear.

"You didn't lose." Himerish said. "For now, that is good enough."

"Excuse me!"

The Guardians and the Elders turned to see that one woman had stepped forward from the group of refugees, and was now addressing them.

"Where are we? What happened to our world? Who are you people?" She asked. "Please, we have so many questions, and we deserve answers!"

"And you shall get them." Himerish said. "Will, Guardians, you did good work today. We will be able to handle things from here. Thank you."

"Wait!" Taranee said, stopping Himerish and Yan Lin in their tracks. Himerish waved Yan Lin and the refugees on before turning to face Taranee.

"We brought something else back too." Tarnaee said, pointing to the distant corner.

Unseen due to the other distractions, Cornelia stood quietly in the corner of the room, focusing on a large stone container.

"Is this why I had to wait? It better be worth it." Will said as the group approached Cornelia.

"Uh, can I get some help here?" Cornelia asked. "It's been kind of a long day."

"An energy shield has been placed around the structure." Himerish said. "We thank you for your effort, but it is no longer needed."

Cornelia breathed a sigh of relief, and let go of the container. As the stone crumbled away, a small, black figure appeared. It was identical to the refugees, apart from it's dark ebony color. As soon as the stone container had crumbled away, the creature leaped at the nearest person. The energy shield held, however, and the creature was left fighting against an invisible barrier.

"Remarkable!" Himerish said.

"That's one word for it." Hay Lin said, giving the creature an evil look.

"Maybe it's stupid, but I thought if we could capture one of his creatures, we could figure out what this guys is." Taranee said.

"Hardly stupid." Himerish replied. "I think you'll find your instinct right the majority of the time Taranee."

"So you can, I don't know, dissect this thing, or whatever else it is you guys do and figure out who or what's behind it?" Irma asked.

"That remains to be seen, but it is possible that is the case, yes." Himerish said. "Once more you have surprised me Guardians. Your effort has been exemplary. I only hope we can reward it."

The Guardians watched as Himerish walked away, the creature forced along behind him, carried by the invisible barrier.

Heatherfield

Upon arriving back in the basement of the Silver Dragon, the girls wasted no time slumping to the ground in exhaustion. With their years of experience, they may be used to saving the world, but that didn't mean it was getting any easier.

"Home sweet home." Hay Lin said. "Thank goodness I can relax, and there aren't any disasters happening."

"Hay Lin, every time you say that, something horrible happens. Stop jinxing it." Irma said.

The peaceful tranquility of the basement was broken by a scream from upstairs.

"Why? Why do I keep saying stupid things?" Hay Lin shouted at the ceiling.

"What could possibly be going on up there?" Will asked.

"Hey girls? Wasn't Spectre staying down here?" Matt asked.

Everyone looked quickly around the room, but the armored man was nowhere in sight.

"Well, I think we know the source of the screaming." Corenlia said. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Hay Lin led the girls upstairs, swearing under her breath as she did so. Upon reaching the main floor, she was met with the unwavering glares of the entire kitchen staff. The girls followed the path of pots, pans and plates scattered on the ground until they found Spectre in the main dining area, staring down customers. Most people simply stared back at the armored man in confusion, while a couple of the braver couples snuck away to the door.

"Ha ha, nothing to worry about folks, just another promotion! We're just so excited about our, uh, warrior… wontons?" Hay Lin said, thinking quickly.

"Guardians, how went the mission? Was the man you call 'Death' there?" Spectre asked, oblivious to the people around him.

"Hey, isn't he a great actor everybody." Hay Lin said. "But he has to go now. Goodbye!"

Hay Lin gave Spectre a kick to the back of his leg, and forced him to march back to the kitchen.

"Oh, this will be fun to explain." Hay Lin mumbled as they marched back through the kitchen.

"Yeah, well, no offense, but I think we'll let you handle that." Will said with a yawn. "I'm due back at the homestead. Good luck though."

"What? You're leaving me to deal with the restaurant and Spectre all on my own? Some friends you are!" Hay Lin pouted as the girls filed for the doorway.

"Not entirely by yourself." Taranee said, putting a hand on Hay Lin's shoulder. "I want to chat with our 'guest'. You explain to the staff, I'll handle Spectre."

"Lesser of the two evils then." Hay Lin said with a sigh.

Taranee walked back down the steps leading towards the basement to find Spectre pacing the barren room. Taranee had been looking for a chance to talk with Spectre ever since she had learned so teasingly little about him and his world. She had yet to figure out what to say first, but luckily for her, he began the talk.

"I have no dreams." He said, glancing up at Spectre.

"That's alright, I'm more interested in reality anyways." Taranee said. "I know it's hard, but we're trying to help you. And you causing problems when we're gone does not help us."

"I am aware of that." Spectre said moodily. "But hard is not the right way to put it. Impossible may better describe my situation. I am left here to wallow in my own self-pity. With nothing to offer comfort, and no dreams to save me."

"What do you mean, 'no dreams'?" Taranee asked.

"This time last month, I had dreams. I had goals and aspirations and ways of achieving them. And when sleep embraced me, they would appear before me. Now, I have nothing." Spectre said. "Everything I had, everyone I love, is gone. Now there is nothing to hope for and nothing to live for save the thought of vengeance."

Taranee glanced down at the floor. She had been so busy, and the numbers were so big, that it was easy to lose track of individuals like Spectre. With a bit of effort, it was easy enough to forget about unknown words being destroyed. The numbers were too big to comprehend anyways. But to actually see and talk to a survivor put things into perspective, and made the tragedy that much more real. Once more, she had no idea what to say, and once more Spectre broke the silence.

"What are your dreams? Where are you headed?" Spectre asked.

The question caught Taranee off-guard for a moment, but she quickly composed herself.

"I'm not sure to be honest." Taranee said. "With the Guardians, we usually just try to survive until tomorrow. I don't think any of us have thought too far ahead."

"You should, before it is too late." Spectre replied. "The war is not worth winning if you don't do anything with the life you get afterwards."

Taranee glanced out the window as the full moon appeared in the sky. She thought of the joy she had felt learning about distant worlds on Kandrakar. Perhaps one day… She shook her head clear. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think past the ongoing struggle.

"I just hope there is a life after this one." She said.

And then there was nothing left for Taranee to do then to brace herself for the long night ahead.


	15. Snapshots

Chapter 14

Snapshots

Heatherfield

Sunday afternoons were busy at the Silver Dragon, and this one was no exception. People poured in and out, and the kitchen was a constant source of sizzling sauces and banging pots. Still, Hay Lin had managed to use her influence to secure Irma and herself a position at a table near the window, which they were now enjoying together. It had been a while since the two had had an opportunity to simply talk, and they refused to let this one slip away.

"So, how's Eric doing? Still alive I hope? Hasn't exploded or anything?" Irma asked, stabbing the plate in front of her with a fork.

"Nope, he's all good. I guess the whole resurrection thing didn't have any effects on him." Hay Lin replied. "You know, I always hoped that our first boyfriends would be a bit more… normal. Instead, I might have a zombie and you have whatever Walli is."

"Yeah, but when do we ever do anything normal?" Irma said. "And Walli isn't my boyfriend."

"Well, not with that attitude." Hay Lin said with a smile. "Are you going to talk to him today? It's been a while."

"Eh, I guess I should. I don't know what to say though. Maybe…" Irma said, thoughtfully nibbling the edge of her fork. "Speaking of weird people, I called Taranee today and her mom picked up. She said Taranee was spending the weekend at your place."

"Really? First time I've heard about it." Hay Lin replied. "Where do you think she actually is?"

"Kandrakar or dead." Irma said. "Either way, nothing we can do. She's not answering my texts either."

"Joy. You want me to keep you informed while you go man-hunting?" Hay Lin asked, cracking a smile.

"Shut up and yes." Irma said, standing up. "And I got to give Taranee credit, I don't even want to think about this Death guy, let alone do research on him."

"Them." Hay Lin corrected.

"Oh right, there's two of them. Yay. Now we can have our butts handed to us in stereo." Irma replied. "Hey, put the rest of this on my tab, will you? I've got places to be, people to meet."

"Yeah, say hi to Walli for me." Hay Lin said as she watched Irma leave the restaurant. "Wait a minute, Irma doesn't have a tab…"

Meridian

Irma burst through the swinging wooden doors of the Wood Elf Inn, causing the hinges to creak under the force. She spared no glance to the couples sitting by the fire or the bard tuning his instrument, instead heading straight for the counter.

"Walli?" The woman behind the bar asked.

"Second floor, room 23?" Irma asked.

The woman nodded to the stairs and Irma was on her way. She stormed up the stairs, marched to Walli's room and threw open the door, quickly stepping inside.

"Please, come in." Walli said with a biting tone.

"Have you left this room in the past two days?" Irma asked.

"Does it matter?" Walli replied.

"Nope. So look at me and shut up." Irma said.

Walli was slightly taken aback by the girl's strong tone, but nevertheless did what he was told. Irma looked him over with piercing eyes, and Walli wasn't sure whether he should begin to defend himself.

"Right. Well, first off, sorry." Irma said.

"What? Irma…" Walli began, but was quickly silenced.

"No words from you now. I'm apologizing and you don't get to speak. Got it?" Irma said.

Walli nodded.

"Good. Now, obviously you're going through some things." She began again. "Sounds like you've been going through some things for a while now. I'm not sure I understand all of it, but I recognize it. And you've got serious issues. That's not an insult, it's the truth, I think even you'd admit that. And they're not the kind of things you deal with overnight. So you want to stay in your room? Fine. You want to go rebuild parts of the village? Go ahead. Do whatever you need to do, for as long as you need to do it, as long as you get healthy. That's all that matters. And I'm sorry, because even though I knew that, I still tried to rush you. I pressured you into acting right away, and that wasn't fair. So, sorry."

Irma stopped to take a breath for the first time since starting to talk, but Walli did not take the chance to say anything. Even if he thought Irma's 'no talking' rule wasn't in effect, he wasn't sure what to say anyways.

"And I guess the reason I rushed you," Irma continued, "is because for a brief moment, only a couple of days before the Balsilide war started, I was happy. Because I had met you, and I had someone to talk to who wasn't a Guardian, and just maybe… Well, it doesn't matter. I was just hoping that I could get that back before I'm gone."

"Gone? Where are you going?" Walli asked.

"This is the big one." Irma replied, starting at Walli. "You haven't been with us, but trust me, this is it. This guy, this… Death? He's on another level. And honestly, I don't see a way that any of us survive the month. Not against this guy. He's almost killed Will twice, and we've only fought him for a couple minutes each time."

"Irma…"

"Quiet, I'm not done yet." Irma said. "On the off chance the universe survives, I want you to be happy. And for you to do that, you've got to deal with whatever it is your dealing with. I wish I could help, but I don't think I can. But if you want my advice, and I don't care if you do, I'm giving it anyways, you're your own worst enemy. You're going to have lots of people tell you that you're no good, and you're worthless. So let them say it, but never say it to yourself. You'll have enough people to do that for you."

Walli stared dumbfounded as Irma began to leave. He was struggling to find words to say when Irma turned around once more.

"Oh, and Walli?"

"Yeah?"

Irma stepped forward and threw her arms around Walli. She wrapped him tightly in her embrace, and once he had gotten over the initial shock, it was an embrace he returned.

"Don't ever think you're alone, ok? Your not." She said.

"O…okay." Walli replied, still slightly stunned.

"Great." Irma said, letting go of Walli and straightening herself. "Then I'll see you around Walli. Take care of yourself."

"Yeah." Walli said, watching her disappear into the fold. "You too."

Unknown

Gabriella slumped back in her seat as the vehicle came to a rest in the driveway. It had been a long day at work, but she could feel the layers of stress peeling off as she gazed upon home. That's not to say there weren't issues to deal with here, too. Isabelle had gotten in trouble at school again, the third time this week. She wasn't hurting anyone, just going places she shouldn't be and getting into mischief. And even after 5 years of school, Harper still wasn't making many friends. No doubt he was in his room now, reading by himself. She didn't mind though, she knew both of her kids were going to be great, and she couldn't wait to see how they'd do it.

She walked through the door and threw her bag on the floor. She peered through the entranceway of the study to see her husband at his desk, pencil dancing in his hand. He didn't acknowledge her existence, even as she watched. After a few silent moments, she headed to the kitchen to fix a snack. He would be warm enough later, and she had no desire to disturb him while he was in a grove. She was sure this book would be another great one for him.

In fact, she was sure everything was going to be okay. The kids would be fine, her husband would create another bestseller, and soon she would be up for promotion. As she filled her mind with happy thoughts, she rubbed her temple as she had been doing all week. Maybe, she thought, even these strange visions of creatures and distant worlds would go away soon. The only oddity in an otherwise normal life.

Heatherfield

Spectre fidgeted uncomfortably as Taranee ran down the length of his armor with her eyes. His tapping toes and wriggling fingers were caused not only by the three sets of eyes focused upon him, but also the knowledge that these could very well be the final minutes he spent in the Silver Dragon's basement. When the measurements were complete, Himerish handed a large device over to Taranee, who placed it on the floor. The device was primary a red crystal held in place by a series of straps and bands. Taranee adjusted a few of the straps, then placed the contraption over Spectre's head. The straps were then tightened, until the crystal rested on his chest, and the whole device was worn like a knapsack.

"And you're sure this will work?" Spectre asked.

"As sure as we can be." Taranee replied, eyeing her handiwork.

"If our calculations are correct…" Yan Lin began.

"And they are." Himerish interrupted.

"Then this crystal will syphon off any of your excess energy when ever you attempt to use your abilities." Yan Lin finished. "Why don't you try it out?"

"On Kandrakar! On Kandrakar! I rather like this basement." Taranee said, sensing that Spectre was ready to act.

"Agreed, since that is arguably the most important part of this device. It should allow you to traverse between worlds, which I'm sure the Guardians will appreciate." Himerish said with a smile.

"Hey, it's not that I didn't like having you around, but it was tough to keep bringing food down here without a good reason." Taranee said.

"Very well. I myself am anxious to leave." Spectre said.

"Shall we?" Yan Lin said, beckoning to the open fold.

Kandrakar

With a cautious step, Spectre stepped out of the fold and into the Fortress of Kandrakar. All three of his escorts let go of a breath they didn't realize they had been holding, and were welcomed by a round of applause.

"It's about time!" Hay Lin said, standing next to the rest of Guardians, as well as Matt.

"Give me a weekend with tools like these, and I can do some amazing stuff." Taranee said, beaming.

"Yeah, is that why you're supposed to be sleeping over this weekend?" Hay Lin asked.

"Oops. Yeah, guess I should have mentioned that. My bad." Taranee said.

"Well, this is fun and all, but please don't tell me you brought us here just so we can watch one small step for Spectrekind." Irma said.

"Hardly. There is a much more pressing matter to attend to. The end of everything." Himerish said.

"How ominous. Care to elaborate?" Will said, not in the mood for games.

"The point we now stand at is the culmination of everything we have done together Guardians. Every battle, every war and every decision we have made in between has lead to this moment. The fight for all of existence starts now." Himerish said.

The girls paused for a second, looking around anxiously.

"Like, right now? Or just the general now?" Hay Lin asked.

"The general now. Not right this second." Himerish admitted.

"I'm sorry girls, we're a bit excited." Yan Lin said.

"We've been doing some studying this weekend." Taranee said. "Not just for Spectre's chest piece either."

"You spent this whole weekend working on Kandrakar?" Cornelia asked. "You really need to learn how to have fun."

"I spent the weekend learning about alien races on distant planets. I learned histories and secrets the likes of which you can't even imagine. Cornelia, I've never had more fun in my life." Taranee said.

"And the fruits of this labor?" Will asked.

"Firstly, we believe we know the identity of these creatures you fight, and where they came from." Yan Lin said.

"They are myths. Legends. Many don't believe they even exist, although that might change given recent evidence. And their story dates back to the dawn of time." Himerish said.

"You might want to get comfortable girls." Taranee added with a smile. "This is going to require some explaining."


	16. Genesis

Chapter 15

Genesis

"In the beginning, when the universe exploded into existence from whatever came before, there was nothing." Himerish began. "But as the years went by, more complex structure such as planets began to form, and on them, creatures. But there is a difference between creatures and life."

"Emotions, feelings, desires, individuality, all that separates us from bacteria and amoebas is more then simply hydrocarbons and neurons." Taranee said. "There is a… spark, for lack of a better term. An energy that we can't even see yet that truly brings a being to life."

"For a very long time, this 'life energy' merely floated around space." Yan Lin added. "Until one day, a creature stumbled upon it and tapped into its power. And it became the first living creature."

"But as life flowed into it, so did sentience flow back." Himerish said. "The energy of life became living itself. It was aware of itself, and it had desires just like any other living thing. It was life in its purest form, without the limitations of physical flesh."

Will massaged her temples, suddenly wishing she had brought paper to take notes. Taranee, Himerish and Yan Lin were taking perhaps centuries of knowledge gathered by Kandrakar and condensing it into a weekends worth of studying. From there, Will had to digest it all in a five-minute speech. Her mind was already exhausted, but she was determined to stay focused.

"So this… entity, this creature of life, it's the other one? The creature we haven't fought yet? Because you said there were two…" Will asked.

"We believe so, yes." Yan Lin answered.

"So what about Death? Where does he come into this?" Irma asked.

"Death is, was, and always will be inevitable." Himerish said. "Where there is life, there will always be Death."

"Existing in flesh form changes the life energy in ways we don't understand." Taranee said. "I know, it's confusing, but when the flesh can no longer sustain the spirit, the flesh dies. But the energy that is released is not the same as it was going in. It's still sentient, still aware, but it has memories now and experiences. Together, these energies form the being we call Death."

"So he's a being of pure energy." Cornelia said. "Made up of the life forces of everyone and everything that's died?"

"Exactly." Yan Lin said.

"But why are they showing up now?" Will asked. "Death's acting like he's just come back from somewhere. Why did they ever disappear in the first place? And why are they conquering planets?"

"We've pieced together a story from some very ancient artifacts. Only the oldest books and records we have even mention these beings." Yan Lin said.

"From what we can tell, both the Life and Death beings have a desire to control their respective forces. When the universe was young, they did just that. Working together, they were the judge, jury, and occasionally executioner." Himerish added.

"They maintained perfect balance in the universe." Taranee said. "For every death, there was a birth. And for every birth, a death."

"Wait, so if my neighbor has a kid, I could die?" Irma asked. "What a rip off."

"Yes. Not surprisingly, it didn't go over well with the people of the universe." Yan Lin said. "But what could they do against such powerful beings?"

"Well obviously they did something, because Life and Death disappeared for millions of years." Hay Lin pointed out.

Himerish, Yan Lin and Taranee all paused and looked at each other for a second, a worried look on all three faces.

"Do you remember how Hearts work? Why every planet has one?" Himerish asked.

"Uh, kind of? I could use a refresher." Will said.

"Every world has a network of magical energy. A field that flows though every living and non-living object on that world, yet is unnoticeable expect for those few who can tap into it." Himerish said. "The vast majority of this energy is collected and stored in a single person, whom we call the Heart. Elyon is the Heart of Meridian, Lillian the Heart of Earth. Other times, it can be an object, such as it is on Zamballa. But no matter the case, the Heart is the primary source of all magical energy on that world."

"Interesting, but how is this relevant?" Cornelia asked.

"Imagine that same principle on a universal scale." Taranee said. "There is a network of magical energy running between worlds, not just on them."

"Wait, are you saying there's one person who contains the magical energy of the universe too? The… Heart of the Universe?" Will asked.

"The Heart of the Universe." Himerish said. "The single greatest source of magical energy that we know of. Capable of almost anything."

"But how could all that energy be stored into one person?" Irma asked.

"Carefully." Yan Lin replied. "If the person, whoever they are, tried to tap into this energy, it would surely destroy their mind and their body quite quickly. So the power is kept dormant we believe, unknown to even him or her."

"But, given the right circumstances, it can become active." Himerish said. "If the stories are to be believed, such an event occurred when Death and Life controlled the universe. The cries of the people awoke the Heart of the Universe, and brought it to action. The resulting clash between Life, Death and the Heart likely obliterated worlds, but out of the ashes of these old worlds grew new ones. Ones of chaos, and freedom. Our universe."

"So this Heart has the ability to fight these creatures, but I'm not sure I want to wipe out half the universe to do it." Will said.

"Out theory is that with this knowledge already in hand, we can control the action a bit more this time. Perhaps attacking before Life and Death have readjusted to their current state…" Yan Lin said.

"It's hardly a perfect plan." Taranee said, seeing the skeptical looks in her friend's eyes. "But a desperate hope in better then none."

"Yeah, but there's a fine line between desperate and stupid." Cornelia said, looking worried. "And this plan has a ton of problems. For example, this person is the Heart of the Universe, and last time I checked, the universe was a pretty big place. Do we know how to find this person?"

"No." Himerish said. "We've been searching for any sign of a Universal Heart for a long time now. Nothing we have has been able to find even a trace of it. Whatever dormant state the Heart has gone into is far beyond the means of our instruments to breach."

"Then how…?"

"We may not know the location of the Heart, but we think they do." Yan Lin said.

"Both Life and Death have been following a path through the stars." Taranee said. "That's how we've been able to keep track on them. At first we thought it was a random path, and that they were just going to the next closest world. But they're not. There is a deliberate course, and they are working very hard to maintain it. The worlds they do visit are merely in the way."

"Not only that, but the paths will soon converge." Himerish said. "In two days time, they will meet up on the planet Traxlor. Whether they know it or not, we believe the Heart of the Universe is drawing them there. Somehow they know where it is."

"And they're trying to eliminate it before it can do the same to them?" Will asked.

"Probably?" Taranee said with a shrug. "You now know the same things I do. I know, this is a lot to take in all at once, but our window is narrow."

"So we've got to find this Heart before they do. Great, I'm sure that will be nice and simple. Everything always is." Irma said, rolling her eyes.

"And what do we do when we find it?" Hay Lin asked. "You said its power would destroy the mind of whoever wielded it."

"Yes, but not immediately." Yan Lin said. "There should be enough time for the Heart to help you fight both Life and Death."

"And then what?" Will asked. "Whoever is the Heart bearer simply burns up once their usefulness is over? They're simply sacrificed without any say in the matter?"

"If there is any way to prevent that, we will pursue that option. But for now, Life and Death must be stopped, before the entire universe become their thralls." Himerish said.

Will's expression made it clear that she was not satisfied with this, but she remained silent.

"So is that finally it then? I feel like I just crammed for five exams at once." Hay Lin said. "Can we go home and sleep for the two days before we save the universe?"

"Actually, there is one more thing Hay Lin." Taranee said, avoiding eye contact with her friends.

"Now what?" Hay Lin moaned.

"These creatures have been dormant for billions of years. And they both awoke a few months ago. Aren't you curious why?" Taranee said.

"Oh, yeah, I guess so." Hay Lin said. "Guess I forgot about that, huh? So why are they back."

"Eric." Taranee said.

"E-Eric? What do you mean?" Hay Lin said, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"Eric died on Meridian, Hay Lin." Yan Lin said. "He was dead in every sense of the word. But you, through the power of the Heart of Kandrakar, brought him back to life. You took his life energy and forced it back into a 'living' state."

"You broke the rules." Himerish added. "You did something that should never have been done, and the universe took notice. The shock was so great that it awakened the entities of Life and Death, and brought them back to this world."

"I'm glad Eric is back, I am." Taranee said softly. "But we knew there would be consequences. We just didn't know they would be like this."

"So this, all of this is because of me? Because I wouldn't let him go?" Hay Lin asked, tears beginning to well up.

"Yes." Himerish said.

"Woah, not cool!" Irma said, comforting Hay Lin. "What happened to you being nicer and more human?"

"I'm sorry, but it is the truth. They are alive because of the actions on Meridian. That is a simple fact." Himerish said. "That does not, however, mean it is her fault. We had no way of knowing what would happen if Eric was brought back. Given the circumstances, I cannot blame Hay Lin for the decision she made. After all, I could have stopped the process, but I didn't. None of us did. Therefore, no one should take blame."

"Small comfort." Hay Lin said.

"Would victory help then?" Himerish said. "We believe we know the key to defeating these creatures. It will not be easy…"

"But when is it ever?" Taranee said.

"Exactly." Himerish said with the hint of a smile. "Take some time to gather yourselves, then head to Traxlor and try to find the Heart of the Universe."

"And how are we going to do that?" Cornelia asked. "It's dormant, remember? There won't be any way of telling who it is."

"I'm aware." Himerish replied. "But you girls are nothing if not resourceful. I'm sure you'll think of something. After all, the universe depends on it."

Despite the task in front of them, Irma couldn't help but laugh.

"So no pressure then?"

Traxlor

Gabriella rubbed her temples and drank her tea as she waited for her work day to be done. Her visions were occurring with an even greater frequency now, and were not limited to just her dreams. Even now, if she closed her eyes she could see the light and the darkness coming closer, always closer. As strange as this was in her otherwise ordinary life, she was not afraid. She could sense that whatever was coming would be here eventually. One way or another, it would all be over soon.


	17. The More Things Change

Chapter 16

The More Things Change

Heatherfield

Eric awoke early Sunday morning to the sound of the doorbell. With drooping eyes and a wide, yawning mouth, he slumped to the door and pushed it open.

"Yello?" He said. "Hay Lin? What…?"

Hay Lin didn't say anything. What she did do was gaze at Eric as if laying eyes on him for the first time. She looked at his short, messy black hair. She gazed at his deep black eyes, and she held his soft, warm hands.

"No regrets." She said at last.

She gave him a small kiss, then ran off into the distance, leaving a very confused Eric Lyndon in her wake.

* * *

As the sun rose, so too did the Guardians rise to meet the fateful day. For Will, it meant a call to Matt, and a trip down to a familiar underpass.

"We used to practice here." Will said, leaning against a nearby rock. "Way back in the day, when this whole Guardian thing started. I barely knew the girls back then. It's funny, I remember practicing our powers, flying and nearly killing ourselves while we did it, but I was more nervous about what they thought about me then anything else."

"Seems like it turned out pretty well, all things considered." Matt said with a smile.

"We've had our ups and downs, but yeah. No complaints from me." Will replied.

The pair spent a couple silent minutes remembering days gone by. Will thought of the fear and excitement she had felt when the first portal had opened and Caleb came tumbling through. Matt remembered his determination as he flung himself through a portal on a cold night, only to end up on the icy cliffs of Meridian. As fond as some of these memories were, there was still something nagging at the back of Matt's mind.

"You know, Will…" He began cautiously.

"The prophecy. Right?" Will asked.

"Yeah." Matt replied. "I know we've got bigger fish to fry, but it might be connected with these entities. Have you thought about it at all?"

"Every day." Will said in a hush tone.

Matt felt as if there was more to Will answer then what she was letting on, but he decided not to pursue it. He loved and cared for her, but more then anything he trusted her.

Both Matt's and Will's thoughts were interrupted by the squeal of rubber on pavement as Cornelia skidded her bike to a stop in front of them.

"Hey. Where've you been all morning? Your mom said you weren't in." Will asked.

"Meridian." Cornelia said. "Just checking in with Caleb and Elyon."

"How are they doing?" Matt asked.

"Great." Cornelia replied. "Better then I've ever seen them, to be honest. The city's back on its feet, and as far as they know, there's no trouble on the horizon. It's really nice to see them happy. Like it's all been worth it."

"So you haven't told them? About what's going on?" Will asked.

Cornelia shook her head, and Will understood the words left unspoken. If Cornelia let Caleb know the situation going on, he would insist the Honor Guard be there to help. And as tough and as experienced fighters as they were, if they went to Traxlor, they wouldn't be coming back.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." Irma said, bounding down the path as Taranee and Hay Lin walked on either side.

"Back at our old training grounds, huh? How come?" Hay Lin asked.

"As it began…" Will said with a wink.

"Look at you, getting all sentimental in your old age." Irma replied with a smile.

"Should we at least pretend we have a plan going in?" Taranee asked.

"We do. Go, kick evil butt, come home." Irma said. "I mean, if it ain't broke…"

"A real plan?" Taranee said, rolling her eyes. "Considering, you know, the fate of the universe is at stake."

"If things go as planned…" Will began.

"Which you know they won't."

"Fair enough. But if they do, then most of this is going to be out of our hands." Will said. "The Heart of the Universe is our weapon. We just have to find it, load it, and point it in the right direction."

"Easier said then done." Taranee said. "We're going in virtually blind. We don't know how to find it, or what to do once we do. And we're on a time limit. This time tomorrow, Death and Life should arrive on Traxlor."

"Wow, uplifting as always." Cornelia said with a frown.

"Hey, false hope never helped anyone." Taranee said. "We should be happy even if we find this Heart. Keep low expectations, and be ready for attacks at any time."

"So just like school then?"

"To summarize…" Will said, "We don't know what we're looking for, we don't know how to find it, and we don't know what to do when we do find it. And our main plan is to simply survive."

"Yeah, that's about right." Taranee said.

"So what are we waiting for?" Will said. "Guardians unite!"

Traxlor

In order to not disturb the natives, Will folded the girls several hundred feet higher then her target. They hovered there amongst the clouds for a second, getting their bearings, before Hay Lin burst into action. She turned herself invisible and dipped below the cloud barrier. While the others were waiting, Will began rubbing her forehead and wincing in pain, something that did not go unnoticed by the others.

"You alright there boss?" Irma asked. "Don't weird out on us now."

"Just a headache." Will said. "It feels like the Heart's getting… feedback? That's the only way I can describe it. I'll be aright though."

"All clear." Hay Lin said, reappearing. "There's a pretty big city to the west of here. Also, we're not really going to blend in with the locals."

"Alright. Let's scout it out anyways, see what we're dealing with. We don't know how long we'll be here, so it couldn't hurt to get a better lay of the land." Will said.

The girls followed her lead and swooped down towards the city. As they approached, they were surprised to find that the city did not resemble that of any foreign planet they had visited before. Instead, it reminded them of Earth. Steel towers touched the sky, divided up by a series of roadways upon which small, one-person vehicles drove. The people walking the street were tall, blue skinned and bald, and wore long ropes with ornate headdresses.

"Hardly primitive." Taranee said. "They look like they could rival mid 20th century Earth for technology."

"But they've still got some kind of magic." Cornelia noted. "Those hats look like they're… floating."

"Focus Cornelia." Will said with a smile. "Fight first, fashion second. You can shop after we save the universe."

"But if there are sales now?" Cornelia said, biting her lip and looking down, searching for a shop.

"How's the headache Will?" Taranee asked.

"Gone." Will replied. "Which is nice, if not a little unexpected."

"What do you think it was Taranee?" Hay Lin asked, seeing the look on her friends face.

"Well, the Heart of the Universe is the biggest source of energy there is, right?" Taranee said. "And it absorbs all the ambient energy in the universe. That's a lot of energy, even if it's in a form we can't feel. But I'm guessing the Heart is able to pick up enough of it to give Will a headache, at least until it calibrates."

"Can you use that to find the Heart of the Universe?" Hay Lin asked.

"No, it's not precise enough." Will said. "There's too much energy for me to pinpoint its destination. I can tell you this is the right planet, but that's it."

"So as interesting as that story was, it doesn't really get us any closer to finding the Heart." Irma said.

"Well…"

"What Taranee?"

"You may not be able to trace all this random energy, but what if you could pinpoint one section of it?" Taranee said. "If you could create some ambient energy you could read, and if it would get absorbed by the Hearth of the Universe…"

"Then I could release it, and follow it back to the Heart like a homing beacon!" Will said excitedly.

"What have we got to lose?" Cornelia said.

With anxious fingers, Will charged up her fists like she was about to release a bolt of lightning. Instead, however, she focused on it, and simply let it go. Although invisible, Will could sense the energy if she concentrated.

"I've got it!" Will said with a smile. "And it's moving!"

"Follow it! We're right behind you!" Taranee said.

Will took off in chase of the energy, the rest of the Guardians hot on her heels. They flew over the city, over mountain ranges and over an ocean without stop. Eventually, after over an hour of flying at top speed, they reached another city, even larger then the last.

"Hold up." Will said. "I think we're on to something."

"About… time." Irma said, thoroughly out of breath.

"In the city below then?" Taranee asked, looking for any unusual signs.

"Not quite in it." Will said, pointing to an array of houses just outside the city limits.

Once more, Will took the lead and began circling the rows of houses. Slowly, she narrowed her target from a block, to a street to a single, plain looking house. As the girls watched, a vehicle pulled into the driveway, and a woman got out, heading towards the door. Will grabbed her head in pain.

"You alright Will?" Cornelia asked.

"Yeah, just give me a second." Will replied. "That must be a ton of energy! The Heart should adjust quickly though."

"At least that means we're in the right spot." Taranee said.

"That's the Heart of the Universe?" Irma said. "Wife, couple of kids, two car, suburban mother? She's going to save the universe? She's so… ordinary."

"Yeah, even I'm a little skeptical." Taranee said, rubbing her chin.

"Trust me, she's something." Will said, still rubbing her temples. "I've never felt anything like this."

"Well, let's go ring some doorbells, shake a few hands and kiss some babies." Irma said, beginning to lower.

"Not so simple." Will said. "Remember what Himerish said? The power of the Heart would destroy the mind of the bearer unless it remains dormant."

"But she's the only one who can stop those Life and Death creatures." Hay Lin said.

"I know, but she's an individual." Will said. "She's got a life and a family. We can't just rip that away. She has to make the decision herself."

The girls couldn't argue, as much as they wanted to, but Will and Taranee did slip each other some dangerous looks. With the stakes as high as they were, both girls knew what they were willing to do if they had to.

* * *

Inside the house, Gabriella stood buckled over the kitchen counter, trying to maintain composure in front of her family. Harper was in his room, reading, but Isabelle was at the kitchen table finishing a snack. Try as she might to look calm and steady, it was clear her façade was not fooling her daughter.

"Are you okay mommy?" Isabelle asked, a look of concern on her young face.

"Yes, mommy is fine, dear." Gabriella said, clutching the counter tightly.

"Do you want some of my drink?" The young girl asked, raising her glass.

Gabriella forced herself to turn around, and managed to get a smile on her face before she did.

"That's very sweet honey, but don't worry about me. It's just been a long day, I'll be fine." She lied.

The truth was that Gabriella was far from fine. The visions were getting clearer and more frequent. Planets, stars and galaxies the likes of which she had never seen danced before her open eyes. Stories she had never heard played in her mind, as did names of people she had never met. As she heard the knock on her door, she felt fear gripping at her. Whatever was doing this, whatever was coming, it was close. In fact, she thought as she reached for the door, it might already be here.


	18. Initiation

Chapter 17

Initiation 

Traxlor

With a trembling hand, Will knocked upon the door. As she listened intently to the movement inside, she carefully chose what her words would be. Not matter what combination of phrases or explanations she came up with, she was not satisfied with the result. As Will often did in times of woe, she turned to her friends for advice.

"So, what exactly is the etiquette for telling someone they need to sacrifice their mind for the good of the universe?" She asked.

"Probably should have asked that before you knocked, eh?" Hay Lin replied.

"The best option is to just tell the truth." Taranee said. "We don't have time to waste on careful explanations."

"Tell the truth?" Irma scoffed. "We are so screwed."

Gabriella open a door and gasped in shock at the five alien creatures in front of her. The knowledge that her daughter was in ear shot was the only thing that stopped her from screaming.

"W-What are you?" She whispered, leaning on a nearby counter for support.

"Please, don't be afraid." Will said. "My name is Will, and the five of us are called the Guardians. We come from a different world then this one, and we're here because we need to talk to you."

"Nonsense." Gabriella said, regaining her composure. "I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I don't appreciate it. Dressing up as strange monsters? Get off my property and go bother someone else."

Taranee snapped her fingers and a flickering flame appeared above her hands.

"Those could just be tricks." Gabriella stammered. "Just some cheap technology, that's it."

Taranee sighed, and made the flame dance through the sky until Irma shot it out with a burst of water.

"Each of us control an element." Will explained. "We use these powers to fight evil, and protect the innocents on as many worlds as possible. Well, alright, mostly one world, but…"

"And you think I'm some kind of evil?" Gabriella interrupted. "I'm just an ordinary person. Even if I do believe what you're saying, and I don't, you have no business here."

"I'm afraid we do." Taranee said. "And you need to believe us. The fate of the universe might be at stake."

Gabriella frowned and shook her head. She wondered if these strange visitors had anything to do with the visions she had been having. They even looked like some of the creatures she had seen. But she wondered even more why she was so okay with this. She should have been having a panic attack at the mere prospect of aliens coming to her door. Yet she felt more at peace then she had for weeks, as if she was confortable with everything going on around her.

"One of my powers is to manipulate emotions." Irma said, as if reading Gabriella's mind. "Right now, I'm using these powers to calm you down. Not changing your mind, just soothing you so you can comprehend what's happening."

Gabriella was not okay with that, as made clear by her facial expression.

"We're telling you we're doing that because we don't want there to be any secrets." Will said. "We want to prove to you we have nothing to hide."

"Why don't you start with how I'm connected with the fate of the universe? Or why you're here at all." Gabriella said.

"You might want to sit down." Cornelia replied.

The Guardians spent the next hour explaining everything they could to Gabriella. They told her the story of the Guardians and what they could do. They explained how saving their friend Eric brought two powerful creatures into existence. And they explained why they thought she had the power to stop it. Gabriella sat and listened carefully, with only one question in her head at all times.

"Why me?" She asked. "Heart of the Universe? The entire universe, and it picks me? Why? I've never been anything special in my life! I'm nothing but ordinary."

"Had to be someone." Hay Lin said.

"Actually, I've been thinking about that." Taranee said. "I think you're the Heart not in spite of being ordinary, but because of it. You represent the people of this Universe perfectly. You might be the most ordinary person in existence."

Gabriella wasn't satisfied by this answer, but she doubted she ever would be.

"By the way, thanks for not using your mind powers on me anymore… what did you say your name was? Irma?" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, and how did you know I wasn't?" Irma asked.

"Because now I have the urge to run down the street screaming." She replied.

"Uh, not that I'm complaining, but why aren't you?" Hay Lin asked. "I mean, I would be."

"Four reasons." Gabriella said. "Firstly, I believe you."

"You do?" Will asked in surprise. "I mean, good. Why?"

"I have seen things the past few days. Seen them with my mind, and they match everything you've said so far. I don't know why, but it just feels right. As if I've known this all along, but just never wanted to admit it." Gabriella said.

Will watched as Gabriella finally acknowledged what she was. As a look of understanding spread across the woman's face, Will could have sworn she felt a strange tingling of energy flow over her. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, and had to ignore it as Cornelia began to talk.

"What are the other three reasons?"

"They're all in the house." Gabriella said. "My husband, my son and my daughter. They mean the world and more to me. I believe they're in danger, and if there's anything I can do to help them…"

"You realize that protecting them won't be free." Taranee said. "There will be a cost. The power…"

"Anything." Gabriella repeated, and even Taranee was impressed by the fire in her eyes.

"I appreciate your dedication, but it's easier to play the game if you know the rules." Will said. "We are talking an extreme level of power here, the type that no mortal mind is supposed to be able to control. If you access it, it will destroy you. It's not a matter of if, only when."

"I'm sorry." Cornelia said. "If we knew of any other way…"

"So, if what you're saying is true, and that's a big if, then the only way to save the universe and my family is by destroying myself?" Gabriella said.

The girls looked at each other nervously. They had known this would be difficult, but nothing could prepare them for the real thing. It felt as if everything was just moving too quickly for them.

"Never give up hope." Will said. "We've faced long odds in the past, and we're still here. We'll do everything we can to keep you with your family by the end of this."

Gabriella took a quick look at her house. They had moved to the backyard by this point to avoid being seen by passersby. Just thinking about the three people within the walls calmed her nerves, and with a deep breath, she regained control of her emotions.

"So you're from another planet, eh?" She asked. "And you said it's kind of like this one?"

"Kind of." Irma said. "More then any other planet we've been too. But it's not exactly the same. For example, Earth doesn't have two suns."

"Wait, neither do we…" Gabriella said, looking up at the sky.

Sure enough, two large balls of light shone in the sky. But as they watched, one got bigger.

"What the…" Hay Lin said, entranced by the light.

"It kind of looks like that thing that attacked Lillian!" Cornelia said.

"Gabe, back in the house, now!" Will shouted, flexing her wings.

"But…"

"Now!"

The Guardians took to the sky, heading towards the ball of light. It was Hay Lin who vocalized their fears.

"If this thing isn't Death, but it's kind of like Death…"

"I know." Will said, increasing her speed. "But we have to check it out. If anything happens, get Gabriella and her family to Kandrakar."

Will took out her phone mid flight and called the first number on her speed dial.

"Matt? Yeah, we're going to need you." Will said.

"Already?" The voice came back from the other end. "Extraction, or…"

"Protection. Family of four, she's the mother. First sign of trouble you get them out of there." Will replied.

"But what if you're…"

"That's an order!"

"Right. Like I listen to those." Matt said before hanging up.

As the girls approached the light, a feminine form could quickly be made out who appeared to be the source of the light. She shone with a radiant glow, and the girls had to squint to make out her shining white skin and silver flowing hair. She wore a long white silk dressed, and stared back at the girls quizzically.

"My, aren't you something?" She said cheerfully. "I've never seen anything quite like you five. Who, or what are you?"

"We're the Guardians." Will said. "We tend to live up to the name."

"Heroes!" The woman said. "Oh, it's been a while! There used to be so many heroes! Knights, warriors, but now? The universe seems… flat, apathetic. Oh well, that'll change soon, won't it?"

"I think it's time for you to stop asking questions and answer a couple." Irma said. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself!" The woman said. "I'm Life. Very nice to meet you. Say, since we're all talking, would you mind explaining why you're not bowing to me? I'd really like you to, and I normally get what I want."

"Tough luck." Will said, hoping Life wouldn't notice how bright the Heart was getting as it fought off Life's energies. "Wouldn't be the first time we didn't do what we were told."

"Hmmm, you are curious ones aren't you?" Life asked. "Everyone else below is worshiping me. Why not…? Wait, not the first time? Have you met my br…"

But Will had already left. As soon as she had heard Life say those below had been turned, she shot towards the planet surface. She cursed herself for a fool as she flew. She had expected a warning, or some time to react. Matt and Gabriella were far below, and with no Heart to protect them, there was no reason they would not be under life's influence. She blasted through the front door, opening a fold to Kandrakar as she did so. Matt, obviously under life's influence, fired a bolt of energy at her that Will easily avoided. She tackled Matt and Gabriella into the fold, before turning back for the others. To her relief, Hay Lin had already grabbed Gabriella's family, and was trying to keep them at bay.

"Can we OW! hurry it up? This guy's a bitter!" Hay Lin said, dangling Harper in the air to keep him away.

Hay Lin tossed all three family members through the portal with a gust of air as the rest of the girls joined them in the house.

"Let's get out of here!" Taranee said. The world is lost, but if Gabriella's safe…"

Taranee was interrupted by a streak of blue shooting back through the fold. Matt stood in front of them, wings spread and ready to fight.

"They couldn't hold him!" Will said. "Matt, I don't want to fight you!"

"Aw, lovers? At each other's throats?" Life said, descending into the backyard. "You know, it's these struggles and these pains that will be eliminated once you welcome me into your life."

"Welcome you in? Or do you force your way through the door?" Cornelia asked.

"Meh. Either or." Life said with a shrug. "Now, dispatch these heroes, my winged friend. Mother has things to do, worlds to visit."

Will locked eyes with Matt, fists clenched. It wasn't the first time they had faced each other in combat, Narissa had made sure of that. But Will was in no rush to reenact those particular battles. But with the Universe on the line, could she afford to pull her punches. Will knew what she had to do, but as Matt was framed in dusk, she wasn't sure she could bring herself to hurt him.

Wait, Will thought, dusk? There hadn't been anything but light ever since Life had arrived. Then she saw and felt it, and it was clear Life had too. Up, high in the sky, darkness approached. The light was blotted out, and for Will, all hope with it.


	19. Scorched Earth

Chapter 18

Scorched Earth

Traxlor

Even with all her experience as a Guardian, Will was having a hard time comprehending the scene in front of her. The two beings, Life and Death were heading towards each other, walls of light and darkness colliding behind them. Tendrils of luminous energy crashed against ebony void, framing their masters with a kaleidoscope of contrast. It was at the same time the most awe-inspiring and most terrifying sight the Guardians had ever witnessed.

However, for Will it was the towering figure in front of them that snapped her mind back to reality. Matt hovered in the air, wings outstretched and fists clenched, as if waiting for an order to attack. Will wasn't sure how long it would be until he got one, but if he didn't act quickly, he wouldn't need to lift a finger. As they watched in horror, the girls witnessed millions of people pouring from the sky down to the planet. Dressed in either white or black depending on which side they stood, the people were lowered to the surface by some invisible force. In the distance, Will could see the waves of humanity approaching quickly.

"Thoughts? Anyone?" Irma asked nervously.

"Cornelia. Crowd control." Will barked. "Set a perimeter, don't let anybody near us, got it?"

"Got it." Cornelia said, taking to the skies.

"Hay Lin. You…"

"I'll help Cornelia. I think she could use a hand." Hay Lin interrupted.

"No!" Will shouted. "We can't risk flying up there to see what Life and Death are doing, but I need to know what's going on up there. So you're my ear in the sky. Use those funky hearing powers of yours, and don't stop listening no matter what, understand? No matter what!"

"Fine." Hay Lin said, clearly not happy with her role.

"And me and Irma?" Tarnaee asked.

"The three of us are going to knock out my boyfriend." Will said.

Without hesitation, Will gave Matt the best shot she could muster, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying backwards. Not only did he recover from the hit unharmed, but he returned with a shot of pure white energy, far stronger then any he had fired before. The trio managed to dodge the blast, but the resulting explosion sent them flying.

"Okay, not doing that anymore." Will said, rubbing her aching head.

"Quintessence is life energy." Taranee said, getting to her feet. "Now he's controlled by life. Maybe it makes him stronger?"

"It might also explain why it was the one thing that fazed Death. Maybe he was allergic to it?" Irma added.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about hurting him." Will said.

A second blast of white energy sent the girls sprawling once more.

"He doesn't seem to have the same issue." Irma groaned.

* * *

A few hundred feet away stood Hay Lin, trying desperately to drown out the chaos around her. She ignored the shouts of her friends as they valiantly fought, and focused instead on the conversation occurring miles above her. With her powers over the air, she could hear the words of Life and Death as if they stood right next to her.

"Hello Brother." Life said.

"Sister." Death replied. "I had assumed you had shared the same rebirth I did. Our fates always were intertwined."

"Hmmm, I thought we wrote our own fates." Life mused. "But I see you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you. Still as moody as ever. Black really isn't very becoming."

"Come now sister, don't take that tone. Were we not allies in the time before?" Death replied.

"Yeah, and look where that got us. Banished and forgotten. How long has it been? Millennia?" Life said.

"Too long by any count." Death said. "But I'm surprised you don't enjoy this new universe we find ourselves in. Such chaos can surely only come from unchecked life."

"My children were never unchecked when I had a say in it." Life spat back. "And don't put this on their heads! Perhaps if you hadn't lorded you power over them for so many years. Frightened them with the looming prospect of cold desolate death."

"I pity you sometimes sister, for death is a peace you alone will never know."

* * *

Far below, Will was getting more frustrated by the minute. She knew they didn't need to defeat Matt outright, simply get him through the portal and keep him there so they could go home. They could fix his condition at Kandrakar, if there even was a way… Will shook her head. She couldn't worry about that now, not while there was still a job to do.

"Will, watch out!"

Will spun at the sound of Cornelia's shouting to see two dark figures running towards her. She recognized them as Death's minions, and turned them to dust with a pair of quick shots.

"What happened to the perimeter?" Will asked.

"Hey, you trying holding back a planet of zombies on your own!" Cornelia shouted back. "Don't you think we could use…?"

Will swore under her breath, but admitted Cornelia was right. She turned to the still open fold to Kandrakar and shouted into it.

"Time for Plan C! Where's the Red Menace?"

As she shouted, she watched Cornelia's makeshift wall begin to crumble in various sections, and masses of people begin to pour through. Will braced herself, but knew she couldn't fight back them all, not on her own. And the rest of the girls were too busy to help. Suddenly a beam of crimson light shot forth through the gloom. The waves of people disintegrated before it, and in short time they were all gone. Will turned to find Spectre standing behind her, chest piece glowing with red energy.

"Well, I'm a big fan of plan C." Will said with a smile.

"You should have called me earlier." Spectre replied, preparing himself for the next wave.

"Maybe, but the less variables the better." Will replied. "Now don't worry about the little guys, I can handle them. Focus on the big winged guy with no face."

"Wasn't he an ally?" Spectre asked.

"Long story. He will be again soon enough." Will replied, shooting down a row of approaching minions. "Although I'd appreciate it if you didn't do any long term harm to him…"

Will and Spectre were interrupted by shouts coming from behind. Both turned to see Hay Lin flying towards them.

"Will! We have to…"

But the words of the Air Guardian were cut short by the loudest sound any of them had ever heard. It was if the air itself was being torn apart, and the universe along with it. And with the sound came a wave of unbelievable force crashing down on them from above. Hero and villain alike, none on the planet was spared from the flattening force. To Will, it felt as if the world itself had crashed down upon her. It would be several minutes before she regained her breath.

As she coughed for air and struggled to her feet, she glanced up and watched the sky shatter. Light and darkness crashed against each other, and the ground shook with every blast. Will did her best to shout instructions to the rest of her team, but it was no use. Their ears still rang with the initial impact of the blast.

"_Everyone alright?" _She said telepathically.

"_Uh, anyone get the number of that truck?" _Irma muttered.

"_Life and Death are fighting each other!" _Hay Lin said. _"I heard them talking. They blame each other for their banishment, and this time around they want to go it alone."_

"_So this isn't an attack, just the backlash?" _Cornelia said.

"_How about we wait till we're back on Kandrakar to drive ourselves insane thinking about this?" _Will replied.

"_Easier said then done. The minions are recovering quickly, and so is Matt." _Taranee said, pointing to Will's aggravated boyfriend.

Will realized that Spectre was not tuned into the girls telepathic conversation. He stared blankly at the girls, watching their expressions change, but not knowing why. Will simply pointed to the jewel upon Spectre's chest, and then at Matt. It was all spectre needed to know.

"_The rest of you, help him out!"_ Will shouted, taking to the skies.

The girls did as they were told, adding their own powers to those of Spectres. Matt's wings burned, his mask cracked and his chest sizzled with energy. But still he stood.

"_Will, I've got a bad feeling about something." _Taranee said. _"Matt's powered by pure life energy. It's going to keep him upright no matter how hard we hit him. But his physical body can only take so much. We keep going at him like we are, he's going to end up being just an animated corpse. And then even if we can cure him mentally…"_

"_We'll have already killed him physically." _Will finished. _"But we can't just leave him!"_

"_We can't leave any of us!" _Cornelia added. _"Trust me, this planet can't take to much more abuse! And soon, neither will we._"

Will didn't have to be an Earth Guardian to know Cornelia was right. The force of the battle above was going to destroy this planet, and any foolish enough to be on it when it went.

"_Do you think they'd save him?" _Will asked. _"Would Life keep him safe?"_

"_I doubt they even know we're here." _Irma said gloomily.

"_Then let's get him home. Cornelia, can you toss him in like you did before? We should be able to keep him on Kandrakar this time." _Will said.

"_Just watch me."_ Cornelia replied.

Cornelia summoned a wall of stone several feet thick behind Matt, and began using it to shove Matt into the fold. As soon as he realized what was going on, Matt turned and used his newly upgraded powers to blast the wall to bits.

"_We're watching."_ Irma said.

"_He never used to be able to do that." _Cornelia said, somewhat stunned.

Will's mind raced as she searched for any way to get Matt home. They couldn't fight him, nor could they force him. And Will constantly had to dodge his attacks, giving her little time to think of a way out. Worst of all, time was against them.

"_Will, the planet's giving way!" _Cornelia shouted. _"We have seconds at most!"_

"_We have to get out of here!" _Hay Lin added. _"Or else we're going down too!"_

Cornelia put a hand on Will's shoulders, but knew at once it was in vain. As the rest of the girls started heading towards the fold, Cornelia looked deeply into Will's eyes. She knew what Will was thinking. She tried to come up with some reason to change her friend's mind, but then Cornelia imagined Caleb being in Matt's place. Cornelia had no doubt that if that had been the case, she would have been right where Will was. It didn't matter the odds, and it didn't matter the cost. The world itself was crumbling around her, as if the universe itself was in its death throws. But this was Matthew Olsen, and she was Will Vandom. She would not leave him behind. And if he were to fall, then she would fall with him. It was the only way it could end.


	20. What the Heart Wants

Chapter 19

What The Heart Wants

Kandrakar

Gabriella slowly slid her hand across the cold hard floor of Kandrakar. Her eyes fluttered open, and she shook her head in a vain attempt to shake off the cobwebs within. It had been hard enough to process the events of the last few hours without feeling like she was sleepwalking, but she did what she could. She remembered five girls had come to visit, and had told her strange tales about who she was, and what she could do. Then came a blinding light, and she had found herself here, wherever here was. If only she could piece everything together…

"Mommy!"

The sound of her daughter snapped Gabriella back to reality. Her family had been in the house when the light hit, she remembered that. She got to her knees and looked around, not releasing the breath she had been holding until she saw her two children in the arms of their father, all safe. When she saw her family it felt as if nothing else in the universe mattered.

As she continued to watch, an elderly woman wearing a white robe approached her husband, and began speaking to them in a calming voice.

"It's okay little one, your mother is safe and so are you." Yan Lin said. "No one will hurt you here."

"But where is here?" Rupert, Gabriella's husband, asked.

"Welcome to the fortress of Kandrakar." Yan Lin said. "For now it is a safe haven for you and your family."

"Safe haven from what? What about the rest of my world?" Rupert asked.

"Your questions will be answered in time." Yan Lin said. "For now, I must ask that you follow me to ensure your safety. Trust me, you are all more important then you could ever imagine."

Convinced, for now, of her family's safety, Gabriella couldn't help but silently survey the room around her, transfixed by the majestic beauty of the fortress. What truly caught her eye, however, was the still open fold in the middle of the room, which the rest of the elders were watching intently.

"Did we come through that?" She asked, pointing to the fold.

"Yes, the Guardians saw to your safety, and the safety of your family." Yan Lin said.

"The Guardians, those were the young girls who came to talk to me. Why aren't they here?" She asked.

"There was another who came with you, Matt, who was once an ally." Yan Lin said. "He too fell under the power of Life, as did you. Once you were on Kandrakar for long enough, her grasp on you slipped. However he resisted, and we were not able to contain Matt long enough for the control over him to lift. I'm sure the Guardians are trying find a way to slow him down as we speak."

"Honey, what is going on? I don't understand any of this!" Rupert interrupted.

"I know dear, I only know about half of the words she said myself." Gabriella replied. "The girls, these Guardians, will they be able to do it? Will they be okay?"

"They always have been in the past." Yan Lin said, noticeably worried. "But I worry for how long they are taking."

Gabriella turned back to the portal, and listened closely. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of crackling energy and the screams of battle.

"They said I had some kind of power. Something within me. How do I release it?" Gabriella asked.

"The jewel that is the source of the Guardians powers. Touch it, and it should awaken your true self." Yan Lin replied.

Gabriella thought carefully for a few moments. She had not forgotten the warning the girls had given her, about the potential risks of accessing her power. But these girls had saved her family, and now they were fighting for their own lives. She'd be damned if she sat around and did nothing.

Traxlor

Will stared Matt down from across the rubble of Gabriella's home. The ground crumbled beneath her feet, the sky crackled with energy, and the wind beat at her face with ferocity the likes of which she had never felt before. It seemed as if the universe itself was beating upon her, but she still would not give an inch. Across from her, Matt stood silently. He seemed puzzled by Will actions, as if he knew what would soon happen, and was curious as to why someone would share his fate. Still, Will would not move.

From behind her, the Guardians began inching their way towards the fold, praying for any extra second they could get. Behind them, Spectre pushed against the hands of Taranee and Hay Lin, trying to make his way back into the fight. They shouted Will's name, begging their friend to join them on Kandrakar, but Will would not move. What few walls had remained standing during the chaos now gave in to gravity, revealing the approaching hoard of people controlled by Life and Death. Will wasn't sure if they would reach her before the planet gave way, but it didn't matter. It would all be over soon.

"Will!"

Will's brow wrinkled in confusion. This was not the voice of her fellow Guardians. This was someone else. But she had heard that voice before. She gave in and turned her gaze away from Matt for the first time in several minutes. She did so just in time to watch Gabriella shove past the speechless Guardians and leap at Will. Will had no time to even understand what was going on, let alone stop it. Gabriella grabbed the Heart of Kandrakar, and as she did so, the Universe changed forever.

A beam of light shot forth from Gabriella, piercing the sky until it collided with the confrontation between Life and Death. Upon impact, the light expanded outward until everything was bathed in its glow, and the Guardians were forced to shield their eyes. They had no way of knowing how long they remained like that, but when they arose it was a much different scenario they faced. Matt still stood across from them, but just as Will clenched her fists, he raised his hands.

"Woah, what in the world is going on here? What happened to… everything?" He said.

Will had the same question, and began surveying the area around her. Gabriella lay unconscious at her feet, but a quick check from Taranee confirmed she was still breathing. For several moments, as she looked around, Will couldn't make sense of what happened. It had gone from the apocalypse to a warm summers day in a matter of seconds. The houses were still destroyed, the people still gone, but beyond the rubble, something else caught Will's eye. Beyond the belief of all five Guardians, on the ground lay Life and Death.

"Are… are they…?" Hay Lin asked.

"Is it even possible for them to die?" Cornelia asked.

"They could be dormant again." Taranee said. "Or it could just be temporary."

The girls cautiously walked up to the fallen bodies of their foes. They looked vulnerable in their state, but Will knew first hand how quickly that could change.

"We must take advantage of this situation." Spectre said, his chest piece glowing brightly as he spoke. "Quick, strike them down now, before they can retaliate!"

"You serious big guy?" Irma asked. "These two almost destroyed a planet just from the shockwaves of their fight. How about we don't disturb them, and quit while we're ahead."

"I am well aware of what they are capable of." Spectre said through what sounded like gritted teeth, although it was impossible to tell. "Which is why I also know that we may never get a better chance at stopping them! We must take this chance!"

"Could we even do anything to them?" Cornelia asked. "Nothing we've tried in the past has worked. What if we just wake them up again?"

"Perhaps if we combined all of our powers together…" Tarnaee thought out loud.

"What about Gabriella?" Irma said, kneeling beside the fallen woman. "We're not even sure what happened to her."

"Her salvation may lie in front of us." Spectre said. "Imagine, if we could do the deed and finish our enemies, her life would no longer be in danger. None of ours would. We would be safe at last."

"Your call Will." Taranee said, her fists aflame.

Will looked at her friends, back to the fallen bodies on the ground. She could sense how close they really were to ending it all. One strike, that could be all it took…

"We leave." She said. "Let's get Gabriella back to her family. Perhaps Himerish or Yan Lin will know how to awaken her."

"What? You would leave when victory is so close? We must finish them!" Spectre said, standing in Will's way.

"Not your call." Will replied, brushing past.

"I believe it is!" Spectre shouted. "They destroyed my planet!"

"I know!" Will shouted back. "And I can't imagine what that must feel like, but don't you dare tell me you're not emotionally unstable right now. Which means you're in no position to make universe-changing decisions. Maybe we could kill them now, but there's an equally good chance we wake them up, and then we're in no condition to fight. I will not put the fate of the universe into what's basically a coin toss!"

"Those may be the best odds we ever get." Spectre replied.

"Maybe." Will said. "But I trust my team, and I trust my friends. And if we have any control in the matter whatsoever, I trust our odds more then fates."

Spectre looked as if he was going to pose another argument, but reluctantly relented. With mixed emotions, the Guardians carried Gabriella through the fortress, battered but alive.

Kandrakar

Much to Will's annoyance, they arrived on Kandrakar to the sound of shouting.

"You're damn right I've got a lot of questions, and I'm not hearing any answers! Now I'm going to ask again…" Rupert shouted, pausing only when he saw Gabriella's limp body.

"Mommy!" Isabelle and Harper cried in unison, rushing towards their mother as she was laid on the ground.

"What happened to her? Is she…?" Rupert asked, kneeling next to his children.

"Well, she's breathing. So that's a plus." Irma said.

"This is my wife, not a joke!" Rupert said, unhappy with Irma's tone.

"Hey, you didn't see the things we did!" Irma replied. "Trust me, I'm not laughing."

"What happened over there girls?" Himerish asked.

"Life and Death started fighting. The shockwaves of their battle were enough to almost shatter the planet." Will said. "I couldn't leave Matt there. I thought we were goners, but Gabriella came and, saved our lives? I think?"

"What did she do?" Yan Lin asked.

"She grabbed the Heart." Will replied. "The Kandrakar one. Then everything went white, and Life and Death were down for the count. So was she."

"She managed to interrupt their fight? Perhaps there is hope." Himerish said.

"Hope for what? Why are you talking about Life and Death as if they're people? How did she touch your heart?" Rupert said, standing up now.

Himerish turned to Will, but she raised her hands in protest.

"Oh no, we've done enough for today. You're going to have to play twenty questions instead of us." Will said. "Matt, you good?"

"I want to throw up."

"You're fine then." Will said.

Without a further word, Will opened up a fold home and walked the Guardians through it as the protests of Himerish fell on deaf ears.

Heatherfield

"Maybe we should have stayed a little…" Hay Lin said upon reaching the Silver Dragon. This idea was met with a series of glares.

"The only thing we should do is shower, nap, and forget that we almost blew up a world." Cornelia said. "Not necessarily in that order."

"Ok, but can we at least try to come up with a plan for next time." Hay Lin pleaded. "Because you know there will be a next time."

"Yeah, I don't ever want to feel like I did today again." Matt said. "I'm not big on being mind controlled. Too many bad memories."

"Actually, we don't need to come up with a plan." Taranee said. "Will's had a plan since day one, haven't you Will?"

The girls turned to will in surprise, who was half way up the stairs.

"Will? You want to clue us in?" Irma asked.

Will paused for a second, opening her mouth and closing it again. Finally, she turned to her friends with a look of pure exhaustion on her face. It was the most tired and vulnerable any of them had ever seen Will.

"Tomorrow." Will said. "I'll reveal everything. Tomorrow."


	21. Always Be Prepared

Chapter 20

Always Be Prepared

Traxlor

Traxlor was covered in bodies. Nearly every square inch of the planet surface was littered with unmoving bodies. Some were natives of Traxlor and now shone bright, as did all of those under Life's control. The majority, however, had never set foot on Traxlor before this day. They were the beings collected during the travels of Life and Death, and they numbered in the trillions. Awake, they were an unstoppable wave of people, each obeying the orders of their master, either Life or Death. For now, however, they lay unconscious on the ground, like a carpet of humanity. Their dormancy was mimicked by their masters, as was its temporary nature.

On the shattered plains that used to contain the capital city of Traxlor's largest continent, Death and Life began to stir. In unison, they pushed themselves off of the dirt and regained their composure. Upon spying each other, both took a defensive stance, not having forgotten what they had previously been doing.

"A truce?" Death suggested.

"Fine. For now." Life said reluctantly. "Now what just happened to us?"

"It felt… familiar, did it not?"

"It was unpleasant, that's for sure. Are you implying what I think you are?"

"It's the only possible explanation." Death said. "What else could have hurt us so?"

"Those girls…?"

"We're easily distracted simply by that winged drone of yours."

"But how is this possible?" Life asked. "I'm beginning to remember the time before, and she caught in that blast with us. She should have been in the same state we were."

"Unless she was awoken, like we were." Death countered. "I believe now is the time to blame those girls."

"Then it's true…"

"Yes." Death replied. "We are once more dealing with the Heart of the Universe. The one being who managed to defeat us before now threatens our second reign before it's even begun."

"But we are not the creatures we were before." Life said. "There will be no holding back this time. Once we find her…"

"That, however, appears to be somewhat of a problem." Death replied. "She is no longer on this planet. Surely what ever knocked us out affected them as well, but obviously not to the same degree. Still, we will find her. I can sense her energy."

"Can you though?" Life asked. "Because I've been trying, and I can't get a read on her."

"You're right." Death said, obviously annoyed. "But that's impossible. A being in control of that much energy should be a beacon. How is she hidden from me?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll find her eventually. Or she'll find us. Either way, her fate is inevitable."

"Then our search begins, and let those harboring her quake with fear." Death said, preparing to take off.

"Hey!" Life shouted. "I haven't forgotten about our earlier disagreement."

"Nor have I. Once this is over, I will be happy enough to dispatch you." Death replied.

"I'd like to see you try." Life said with a smile.

And with that, Life and Death took to the skies, their congregations followed, and the population of Traxlor was now, and forever more, zero.

Kandrakar

Gabriella was admiring the columns and archways of her new home when she felt her consciousness expand. It was gradual at first, as if she was seeing herself through someone else's eyes. She felt her mind begin to drift away from Kandrakar, until the fortress and everyone in it was just a speck of cosmic sand. Suddenly she knew the name of every person on every world. She knew their lives, their dreams, their hopes and their pain. She felt herself continue to drift ever outwards, until…

She awoke with a start on a bed in a strange white room. She groggily rubbed her head, and tried to focus on what was around her. There were many strange objects the likes of which she had never seen, but she recognized the man beside her. Himerish watched carefully as she propped herself up in bed.

"How long?" She asked.

"A few hours." Himerish replied. "A little bit longer then last time."

"Rupert? The kids?"

"They don't know. We told them we were running some standard tests on you. Rupert objected, naturally. How do you feel?"

"Um, I don't know, a little dizzy I guess. Disoriented. Mostly tired though. Is that normal?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm afraid there is no normal." Himerish replied. "We at Kandrakar have seen many things, but you are quite unique."

"Yeah, I'm getting that a lot lately." Gabriella said, sliding her legs of the side of the bed. For the first time, she took a good look at the room around her. The walls, floor and even ceiling were lined with the oddest assortment of devices that Gabriella had ever seen. Each one looked as if it was out of a storybook from her childhood, and they almost seemed too bizarre to be real.

"Where am I? What is this place?" She asked.

"This is a special room we designed especially for you." Himerish said, glancing around. "The entities we know as Life and Death found you due to your unique energy, as we did. However, they did so subconsciously. Now that they know of your existence, it will be much easier for them to track you down."

"Please tell me this room stops that." Gabriella said.

"We certainly hope so." Himerish replied. "This room consists of a wide variety of devices and energy sources from around the universe. Never before have so many powerful devices been placed in one room. It is our belief that their diverse energy signatures will be enough to block out even your powerful presence."

"And if they don't?" Gabriella asked.

"Then we'll know of our mistake very quickly, but not for very long." Himerish replied.

"Not all that reassuring. Can I at least see my family?" Gabriella asked.

"Soon, yes, but for now you have more urgent visitors." Himerish said, opening the door.

With an air of confidence that Gabriella quickly saw through, Will lead the Guardians into Gabriella's protective chamber. Almost in unison they stopped to gaze at the artifacts around them.

"Woah. And my mom thinks my room is messy." Irma said, gazing about.

"If we could focus on the matter at hand…" Himerish said.

"Right. Well, first and foremost, how are you feeling Gabriella?" Will asked.

"I'm alright." Gabriella lied. "What's this all about? Is something else happening to me?"

"No." Taranee replied. "Well, not yet."

"We need to talk endgame." Will said. "To put it bluntly, you are our only hope. If something happens to you, it's game over for all of us. And by all of us I mean the universe and every living thing in it."

"But, you know, no pressure." Cornelia said.

"When Life and Death get here, and let's face it, it's a matter of when, not if, it's going to be kill or be killed." Will continued. "They're either going to take you down, or we'll make sure they die trying. This is a no quarter kind of battle."

"Do you think we can actually beat them?" Gabriella asked. "They seemed so powerful before, and I wasn't really sure what I was doing…"

"We're the Guardians. We always come out on…"

"No. I don't think we can beat them." Will interrupted.

The girls stopped and stared at Will, who merely maintained her gaze on Gabriella.

"Wait, what?" Gabriella asked. "If we can't beat them, then is this over? Are we all doomed?"

"Yeah, kind of wondering that myself Will." Hay Lin added.

"Will says she has a plan." Taranee said. "Now would be a great time to let us in on it."

"Remember that prophecy Endarno warned us about?" Will asked.

"The one where we destroy the universe? Yeah, kind of hard to forget." Irma said.

"It's also the one we're trying to avoid right now." Cornelia added.

"Well I'm going to fulfill it." Will said.

Meridian

"Rosetta's." Raythor said.

"Yes! Rosetta's! That was the name!"

Drake pumped his fist in excitement, while the rest of the Honor Guard snickered.

"Hey, I remember Rosetta's!" Caleb said. "They used to sneak us meat pies during the rebellion. Best meals we ever had. Morale shot through the roof after Rosetta days."

"They were the best! Oh, I can taste it now." Drake replied, licking his lips.

"How'd you know about that place Raythor?" Vathek asked.

"Back when Phobos had just come into power, you know, the good old days? When we were all trying to kill each other?"

"Matter of opinion."

"Meh. Anyways, my first job was to run a six man garrison." Raythor continued. "I was only starting to work my way up through the ranks. Bunch of local thugs and I would go around town trying to limit the trouble you boys were causing. We'd shake down some local businesses too, trying to intimidate the owner, or just score a few free pints. One day we get to Rosetta's…"

"If you hurt her, you're off the team." Caleb said.

"Well, we were going to the first time." Raythor replied with a smile. "She bribed us with a free dinner. Needless to say, we never bothered her again. Best Horuvian Soup I've ever had. Every patrol we'd swing by and see what we could get. By the end we actually started paying just to make sure we'd get the fresh stuff."

"How did she do it?" Drake asked. "I've tried so many times to replicate that soup…"

"Yeah, so did we." Raythor replied. "I once lied and said we thought there were rebels hiding in the back just so we could search the kitchen for the recipe. Never did find it. Man, I'd kill for that soup again."

"Or you could just buy it." Julian said, walking into the room.

"The building got destroyed in one of our final fights." Caleb said.

"But she didn't. And they're rebuilding it as we speak."

Will and Cornelia made their entrance as Raythor's jaw hit the floor.

"Hey Cornelia, you hungry? I know a place…" Caleb said with a smile.

"Also, I believe I've won." Julian interrupted with a smile.

"Won what?" Will asked.

"Damn, he's right." Raythor said. "We had a bet going about when you girls would bring trouble to our door step again. And Julian got it within a week."

"What makes you think we've got trouble?" Cornelia said.

"Do you?" Raythor asked.

"Well… yes."

Raythor simply shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, what is it this time?" Caleb asked, perching his feet atop the opposing table. "Anyone we know? Is it on Meridian."

"Look, we just spent 4 hours preparing a plan, so we're going to wait until everyone else is here before we explain everything." Will said. "Trust me, it's complicated."

"How about a teaser?" Vathek asked.

"The fate of the universe is at stake, we're dealing with power levels we've never seen before, and it is almost certain that you will all die." Will said.

The present members of the Honor Guard stared at her with mixed levels of disgust and annoyance.

"Didn't she used to be the cheerful one?" Drake asked at last.

"I assume fate of the universe includes Meridian?" Caleb asked.

"Yes. If we fall, so does Meridian." Cornelia replied.

"You know we're down a man, right?" Julian asked. "Walli…"

"We're working on that." Cornelia said with a knowing smile.

"Now, we can't force you to fight this." Will included. "The power of our enemies dwarf's even our own. You probably won't last more then a second next to these creatures. There's a large part of me that doesn't want you there at all. So if you…"

"Please, you had us at fate of the universe." Caleb interrupted. "You need us? You've got us."

"Really? Just like that?" Cornelia asked.

"Just like that." Caleb replied. "We've been getting restless here anyways."

"Crack those knuckles and sharpen those swords boys." Raythor said with a grin. "Looks like we're back in action."


	22. White Lies

Chapter 21

White Lies

Meridian

Irma stood silently for several minutes, watching Walli work. The shade of a nearby tree shaded her weary body from the beating sun, but Walli's bare back had no such protection. As Irma watched, Walli finished with the wooden beam in front of him, and propped it up as part of a larger wooden frame. Irma's glanced from him to the nearby remnants of a bridge crossing a running stream, and wondered if there was a connection.

Although she felt as if she could watch for hours, Irma forced herself over to where Walli was working, and audibly cleared her throat. Walli turned around in surprise, and Irma would never be sure is she saw the hint of a smile on his lips or not.

"Hello Irma. I wasn't sure you'd ever come back." Walli said calmly.

"Well, nothing's killed me so far. So hear I am." Irma replied with a shrug.

"It's good to see you alive and well." Wall said, turning back to his work.

"And it's good to see you." Irma said. "How are you feeling? I know we didn't exactly leave on the best of terms…"

"I am… better." Walli said. "The road is long, but I think I'm finally on the right one. How are things abroad?"

"Not so good." Irma replied. "That's actually why I'm here."

"Oh?" Walli said, not turning around.

"There's a battle coming. Maybe the last one we ever fight." Irma explained. "If we want to survive, we need all the help we can get. The Honor Guard has already said yes, so…"

"I'm no longer a part of the Honor Guard." Walli pointed out.

Irma instinctively bristled at the response, but she found no malice in the words. Walli wasn't bitter, or trying to antagonize Irma. He was merely pointing out a fact.

"I know." She said. "But you're still a friend, and good in a fight. Those are both qualities we are severely lacking at the moment."

"I see." Walli said, still focused on his work.

Irma was getting impatient. She was in no mood to play games with Walli.

"You know, I'm supposed to be ordering you to come back." Irma said. "I'm supposed to convince you to join the battle by, and I quote, 'any means necessary'. But I'm not. I'm asking you nicely instead."

"Considering the stakes, that seems like an odd course of action." Walli said.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to force you." Irma said. "I see you, and you say you're better, and you look better. You sound better, and you seem… focused. Will be damned, I'm not going to rip away whatever you've gained here for this fight. So you want to stay, stay. You want to fight? Great. But I need an answer."

For the first time, Walli stood up and faced Irma. Irma found surprising tranquility in his eyes.

"Where will I do the most amount of good?" Walli asked.

Again, Irma found none of the anger that had been in his voice the last view times they had met. As relived as she was, she was also confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"When Phobos's men knew they were defeated, they destroyed this bridge." Walli explained. "It is the only route that directly leads to the south and the castle. Without it, this village is unable to exchange their goods with neighboring cities effectively. Our enemies decided if they could not burn us down, they would let us die in isolation."

"And you're building it back up?" Irma asked.

"The majority of able bodied men and woman either died in the rebellion or are too wounded to work any further. The rest must work daily to keep their family well fed." Walli explained. "Odds are you've seen the entire population at one point or another. Few have time or energy to put towards bridge building."

"Sounds very noble of you." Irma replied.

"Thank you." Walli replied. "I believe the person who has benefited the most from it is myself. I have spent far too much time dwelling on the sins of the past. I still believe I made crucial mistakes, and I doubt I'll ever truly forgive myself. But now, I feel I am taking steps to redeem myself. It may not be much, but it feels good to do good. So now I ask you, where will I do the most good? That is where I want to be."

"But why ask me?" Irma said.

"Because I trust you more then I trust myself." Walli replied.

Irma hesitated for a moment. She had no doubt about what her heart wanted, but she also knew what the right answer was.

"You should be on the battlefield, by our side. That's where you'd do the greatest amount of good." Irma said.

"Then that's where I will be." Walli said. "Until then, I will continue work on this bridge. You know where to find me, come get me when I'm needed."

Irma happily agreed to this with a smile. She knew that whatever journey Walli was on was far from over, but it had taken another step in the right direction. She opened up a fold, and was about to leave when Walli caught her attention once more with a shout. He opened up his knapsack, which lay nearby in the grass, and began rummaging through it. After a while, he pulled out Irma's cell phone and tossed it to her.

"Here, guess you won't be needing this to track me anymore." Walli said.

"You… you knew?" Irma stammered. "But why didn't you just…?"

Walli gave no answer, and merely returned to his work. Irma stepped through the fold and back to Heatherfield with a beaming smile on her face.

Heatherfield

Will was starting to worry she would wear a hole in the floor of Matt's garage. Once more she circled the hard concrete in a vain effort to prepare herself for what was to come. This time there was added peril, as she had to make sure she didn't trip on the trailing end of the long sheet of paper she was dragging around. She barely even paused at the sound of Matt opening the door.

"Well, at least you're getting exercise." Matt said, watching Will turn. "You ready for this?"

"How can I be? How could anyone be?" Will asked.

Matt briefly opened his mouth, but just as quickly closed it.

"You were going to tell me I don't have to do this." Will said.

"I was. Force of habit I guess." Matt admitted.

"But you know I do." Will replied. "You know the plan. You know that perhaps nothing is more important then this step."

"I know. But are you okay with doing this?" Matt asked.

"No." Will said bluntly. "I'm an introvert at heart Matt. I'm an only child, and outside of you and the girls I was never good at making friends."

"Seemed like you picked some pretty good ones."

"The best." Will said with a smile. "But this? What I've got to do? This is practically hell for me."

Matt could only watch as Will sat down for the first time. She slumped back in a near by chair and hung her head with a sigh.

"I'm exhausted Matt, I really am. But the only way out of this mess is by completing this list. So I may not like it, but I have to do it."

"Hey, at least you don't have to do it alone." Matt said.

"The girls aren't coming." Will replied. "I didn't want to have to drag them into this too. They wouldn't have done much anyways, might as well let them rest."

"Who said anything about the girls?" Matt said, changing into Shaigon form. "Now, who's first on our list?"

This time it was Will's turn to silently open her mouth. She figured she'd be surprised by Matt's commitment, but in truth she had never doubted it for a second.

"Aaborn" Will said, consulting the list. "Up for a road trip?"

"Roads?" Matt said as Will opened up a fold. "Where we're going, we won't need roads."

Kandrakar

Gabriella breathed into her hands as she sat on the edge of her bed. She had been in her 'panic' room for the better part of two days now. As difficult as they were, it was not the questions in her mind that made the wait seem interminable. It was the tranquility in the room. The sheer absence of distractions that allowed her to only think of what was to come that threatened to drive her insane.

She stood up at the sound of the opening doors, but found only Himerish waiting on the other side.

"You asked to see me?" Himerish asked.

"Yes I did." Gabriella replied. "In a few minutes my daughter, my Isabelle, is going to walk through those doors, and the first thing she's going to do is ask if everything will be okay. I don't want to lie to her, so you're going to tell me. Is everything going to be okay? Will I be okay?"

Himerish paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"Gabriella, what you must understand is…" He began.

"No. No, no, no." Gabriella interrupted. "You owe me this! I was perfectly fine with my ordinary life. I didn't want to be dragged into this world of fairies, and demons and magic, yet here I am. So you owe me a straight answer."

"The answer is no." Himerish said. "No, you will not be okay."

Gabriella lowered her head, but said nothing, so Himerish continued.

"The amount of power in the Heart of the Universe, the amount of power that you have is on a level we have never seen before. Trying to control it for a prolonged period of time would destroy any mortal mind."

"But I've controlled it my entire life!" Gabriella said.

"Previously, it had been dormant." Himerish replied. "In it's passive state, you didn't even notice it, let alone control it. But once you used it on Traxlor, you started a chain reaction that will inevitably lead to the destruction of your mind. You should be able to control that power until you need to use it further, but once you use it the way Will has planned…"

"And there's no other way?" She asked.

"If there were, we'd be trying it." Himerish replied.

Himerish couldn't see Gabriella's eyes, but he could see the shaking clenched fists. It was times like these he found himself very sympathetic to Gabriella's feelings. He too wished he had never been dragged into this world of magic and heartbreak.

"I don't want to lie to her." Gabriella said in a shaky voice.

"I know. You want to protect her." Himerish replied. "But sometimes a lie, if it's just a small one, can be the greatest protection."

Himerish watched silently as the door opened once more and Isabelle was greeted by her mother's open arms. He looked away only as Gabriella held her daughter tight and told her everything was going to be okay, the tears in her eyes hidden from sight. The first and last lie Gabriella would ever tell her children.


	23. Eleventh Hour

Chapter 22

Eleventh Hour

Aaborn

Will liked cats. She liked that they were independent, and could be proud and adorable at the same time. She had always wanted a kitten when she was a kid, and she was determined to get one as an adult. Although, she preferred cats when they were a foot high and rubbed against her ankles. She was less fond of them when they towered above her and she rubbed against theirs. Nevertheless, she found herself gazing up at several of the largest felines she had ever seen. They more closely resembled a mountain lion then a house cat, but many times larger.

"How much do you think they spend on kitty litter?" Matt whispered as they approached the main court.

"Shhhh." Will replied. "Let's not offend them, alright? We need them almost as much as they need us. So lets not blow it."

Will forced her gaze downward at the man standing below the large creatures, and atop an elevated platform. He had slightly greenish skin, allowing him to blend in with certain parts of the surrounding jungle. He wore only animal skin leggings, revealing a sculpted torso that made it easy for Will to keep her attention on him. All Will knew about the man is that he was the chief, and that he had a strict exercise regime.

"Mmmm, why couldn't I be born on this world?" Will asked.

"Excuse me?" Matt replied with some righteous indignation.

"Oh, come on, I'm not dead yet." Will answered with a smile. "Besides, you know I think you're the best this universe has to offer."

"Greatings, strange travelers. I am Chief Wwataka." The man said, forcing Matt to be satisfied with Will's response. "I have many questions for you. Who are you? Why are you here?"

"I will be happy to answer all of your questions, your… uh, chiefness." Will replied. "My name is Will Vandom. This is Matt Olsen, and we are from a planet called Earth."

"A different planet? You are from a world other then this one?" Wwataka said. "Is such a thing even possible?"

"Yes. There are many other worlds with life on them." Will replied. "And we've come to ask for help."

"Help? From us?"

"Yes. And I'm sorry for moving so fast, we're on a bit of a time limit. We represent a group of people dedicated to universal peace and justice." Will said, trying to remember the speech she had in her mind. "There is a great evil coming, and within a few days, there will be a final confrontation. The fate of the universe is at stake. We would like your warriors to join us in this fight, for the glory of Aaborn, and of the universe itself."

"Your cause, if true, sounds worthy." Wwataka said. "But that is a large if. Two strangers come to my court, claim to be aliens and ask for my bravest warriors? Only a fool would grant that request."

"Agreed. In most cases." Will replied. "But this is not most cases."

"You would have to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that this threat is real." Wwataka replied.

"Glad you said that." Will said with a worried smile. "May I?"

"May you what?" Wwataka asked, giving Will a suspicious look. Far above, his cat, if it could be called that, growled her disapproval.

Will cautiously but confidently approached Wwataka, keeping one eye on the creature at all times. She came to a halt when faced with the business ends of two spears, courtesy of Wwataka's guards.

"You are brave to even attempt to approach my person." Wwataka said.

"I mean you no harm." Will said, hands raised. "But the jewel around my neck will allow you to see what I have seen. Then you will understand."

"And how do I know you are not an assassin? That you will not slit my throat?" Wwataka asked.

"Bind my hands." Will replied quickly. "Blindfold me. Tie my feet together, I don't care. Just allow the jewel to touch your forehead, and all will be explained."

The guards looked to Wwataka for orders, and he gave them in the form of a nod. As Will watched, ropes and cloth were brought out, and her enthusiasm for this plan waned. Still, she stood motionless as her hands were bound behind her back, and the cloth was placed over her eyes.

"Will, you know what you're doing?" Matt asked.

"I think it's pretty obvious that I don't." Will replied. "Now, chief, apply the jewel to your forehead. It will start a two-way conduit. It will share with you its knowledge, as well as learning from you."

With slight hesitation, Wwataka placed the Heart of Kandrakar on his head, and his eyes went wide. For several seconds, the court watched in silence as their Chief had his head filled with knowledge. Once he had seen everything he needed to see, he stumbled backwards, holding his forehead.

Will heard the sounds of shuffling feet, and then felt the cold touch of steel against her neck. She heard the sound of wings behind her as Matt got ready to fly into action, but it turned out to be a vain threat.

"Wait!" Wwataka said, getting to his feet. "She speaks the truth! Release her bonds!"

The guards were clearly confused, but did as they were told. Before long, Will was rubbing her wrists and giving the guards dirty looks.

"Now you understand?" She asked. "Now you see why we are here? The strength of your… uh…"

"Zabu's."

"Right. The powers of your Zabu's are known throughout the universe. We need strong warriors, and your kingdom was the first place we came." Will said, omitting the fact that Aaborn was the first alphabetical name on their list.

"Then you shall have their strength." Wwataka said.

"I thank you, wise chief." Will said, bowing slightly.

Will tried to remain calm, but beamed on the inside. She wasn't sure she'd succeed on any world, but to win over the first one was huge. One down, a whole lot more to go.

Kandrakar

Gabriella sat on the ground cross-legged and started at a box of sand with more intensity then she had ever stared at anything in her entire life. She focused every inch of concentration left in her tired body into the sand, and as she did so it began to move. Slowly but surely, the sand began to drift into a large lump in the middle of the box. Eventually, the lump began to take recognizable shape, as the towers and walls of a sand castle began to form. The structure quivered and, after a few seconds of teetering on the edge, collapsed back into the box. Gabriella sighed, and lowered her head to avoid the steely gaze of Himerish.

"Sorry, guess I'm not much for this." She said. "Last time I built a sand castle was with Isabella and I used a bucket. I've never tried doing it with my mind before."

"Your struggles are understandable." Himerish replied. "But, to be blunt, not acceptable. Mastery over your newfound powers is critical to this plan."

"Hey, I'm trying." Gabriella said, throwing her arms into the air. "Shouldn't I be working on using my powers for something a bit more… powerful? I doubt I'll defeat anyone with sand castles."

"Any fool can destroy." Himerish replied. "It is much harder to create. But the reward is usually worth the effort."

"You don't think we can defeat them, do you?" Gabriella asked. "That's why you're training me to create, not to fight. Will's idea is supposed to be just a contingency plan, but it's not, is it? We're actually going to have to…"

"I do not think you can beat them in single combat." Himerish interrupted. "You do not have the time to properly adjust to your powers, and they were born with theirs. But I have not given up hope on defeating them."

Gabriella paused for a second and glanced at the door.

"Uh, when this is all done…" She began.

"They will be looked after. They will be safe." Himerish said.

"Good." Gabriella said. "Tell Rupert I love him, tell Isabella to stay strong and tell Harper to be himself."

"I will." Himerish said. "Now, as loathe as I am to press the issue…"

"It needs to be pressed." Gabriella said, wiping her eyes. "Alright, from the top."

Far down the halls of Kandrakar, another person, this time a man in glowing red armor, was practicing his newfound abilities. Spectre's now controlled energy appeared to be slightly one dimensional, and limited to projection in the form of crimson blasts out of his chest. Taranee accompanied him, acting as an assistant in his target practice. She would loft fireballs into the air, and he would blast them out of the sky. As time had gone on, however, Spectre found the fireballs following the same trajectory with every throw.

"Taranee, you must make your shots more erratic. I doubt the enemy will follow such a predictable path." Spectre said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Taranee replied.

"Are you alright? You seem absentminded today." Spectre asked, ceasing his bombardment.

"That's because I am." Taranee said, sitting on a nearby step.

"You wish to be with your friend and leader, Will." Spectre said.

"I know my power set and, let's face it, personality doesn't exactly lend me to diplomacy, but yeah, it would have been nice." Taranee said. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other day, about figuring out where I'm going before it's all gone."

"And?"

"I hate mysteries." Taranee said.

"I assume that's relevant?"

"It is. Never liked reading mystery novels, or watching cop shows. Two many questions and there was no way to find the answer unless you waited. If there was something I didn't know, I wouldn't rest until I knew the answer. And this? Kandrakar? This is every answer I could ever want under one roof."

"I'm not sure I understand." Spectre said.

"I'm not sure I do either. And trust me, I hate that." Taranee said. "But one day…"

"You will see that day." Spectre said. "I will make sure that by the end of this, both our dreams are fulfilled."

"Both?" Taranee asked. "What do you dream of?"

"My family. My people. I will be reunited with them once more." Spectre said. "If not in this life…"

"Woah, hold on. I'm not letting you throw your life away!" Taranee said, placing a hand on Spectre's shoulder.

"Nor do I wish to let it go." Spectre replied. "Perhaps Will's plan works, perhaps it does not. But I will give everything I have to stop the creatures that took away my home. One way or another, I will see my family again."

Taranee let her hand slip of the armored shoulder. The girl's had been doing their best to ignore the significance of the coming battle. If they thought about what was truly at stake, their minds would surely collapse under the pressure. But now Taranee felt the white hot fires of passion burning within her. This was their biggest battle. This was the culmination of years of work as Guardians. There was too much to lose, so Taranee refused to. Let the forces of Life and Death pound at their door. They would be ready.


	24. The Final Night

Chapter 23

The Final Night

Ruo

Were it not for the thousands of eyes upon her, or the hundreds of hands placed upon the hilts of swords, Will would have gladly fallen to the marble floor and taken a nap. She and Matt had spent the majority of the past 24 hours travelling to various worlds in the hopes of gaining their support in the upcoming conflict, but the hours were starting to take their toll on the pair. They had each taken rests to eat and sleep, but it was hard to sleep comfortably when a list of alien worlds loomed in front of you. The result was two very tired people stumbling into the main council room of the planet Ruo.

The room itself was a large, domed area, similar to the council room in Kandrkar. Instead of elders, however, the room was lined with hundreds of guards, each one armed with a long spear pointed at Will and mat. Even from under the silver helmets, Will could sense the untrusting glares. For the most part, however, her attention was drawn to the imposing figure in front of her. Atop a large, gold and purple throne sat an older man with greying hair, dressed in a long flowing robe. His expression matched those of the guards.

"Be forewarned, strangers, that you are in the presence of the Great Ruoian Emperor!" One of the guards shouted, jostling his spear in Will's direction. "Should you give just provocation, we will rend the flesh from your bones with unmatched speed."

"Uh huh." Will replied, rather unimpressed with the primitive weaponry. "Great Emperor, we have no desire to test your… considerable might."

"A wise course of action." The Emperor said slowly, the words rolling from his mouth like molasses. "For you would surely meet your end."

Will bit down hard on her lip. She had met a lot of arrogant emperors, kings and chiefs over the past few days, and she was getting sick of swallowing her pride.

"Heard that before." She muttered bitterly. "Emperor, there is a great battle coming. The fate of the universe itself is at stake. I seek your aid, and the strength of your army…"

"You've come to recruit the might of Ruo?" The Emperor said.

"Yes." Will replied. "There are two beings who…"

"Only two? And why do they come to Ruo? What have we done to wrong them?" The Emperor asked.

"Well, they're not attacking Ruo, not directly at least." Will admitted. "But they will…"

"So we would fight another's battles. Where are your treasures?" The Emperor asked.

"Our treasures? What…?"

"You may have our might, but for a price. That is the way. Let me see the treasures you have to offer us and I will judge if they are worthy."

"We have no treasures." Will said. "But if you'll…"

"No treasures? Then we shall not fight. You waste our time with your empty prattling." The Emperor said, sliding back into his chair.

"But if you'll just let me explain…" Will said.

"My decision has been made." The Emperor said. "Now, your presence is tiresome. Dispose of them."

In unison, the guards lowered their spears in the direction of Will and Matt, and began to advance.

"Alright, that's enough!" Will shouted, slamming her open palm against the marble floor.

A wave of electricity shot from her hand and sent the circular wall of troops flying backwards, sparks coursing up and down their armor. The tougher ones managed to sit up and watch as Will soared towards the Emperor.

"I've busted my hump all day trying to save worlds like this, and all I find are a bunch of idiot leaders who can't see past their own ego!" She shouted.

Unbeknownst to Will, one guard had hidden behind an ally when the blast hit, and was unaffected. Quietly, he stood up and readied his spear before hurling it at Will. The weapon was only half way to its mark when Matt leapt up and caught it in mid air, snapping in in half before the astonished guard. Will never even turned around.

"And I'm getting really sick of being interrupted." She said. "Now I want to save this world. And if you don't want to send help, fine. Be a selfish pig, see if I care! But in 48 hours, this world is going to be gone unless this jewel touches your head!"

"Enchantress! We will not bow to threats!" The Emperor shouted defiantly.

"It's not a threat, it's a warning…"

Once more Will was interrupted, this time by the sound of opening doors. Hordes of guards filled into the room, and Will could do nothing but cover herself and Matt in a large energy shield.

"Will, we can't fight them." Matt said. "We're good, but even we can't fight a world."

"I just wanted to save them Matt. That's all." Will said, shoulders slumping.

"I'm sorry Will, I am, but this shield won't last forever…" Matt said, watching a spear bounce of the energy bubble.

"I know. But within the week no one but the five of us will know this place even existed. I want to have one last look around." Will said. "At least it's something."

Matt, tired as he was, couldn't argue with that. Instead, he put an arm around Will's shoulder and together they said goodbye to a world. They stayed like that for as long as they could, before leaving Ruo to its fate.

Kandrakar

Irma had never really wanted kids. She figured she'd have to have one at some point, but she had never been found of children. But spending time with Gabriella's son and daughter was beginning to change her mind. Both of them had begun to spend more time with Irma since their mother was now absent. Their father, Rupert, split his time between his children and his wife, which meant there were plenty of times when Irma had to entertain the pair.

Harper was very quiet, mostly staying to himself, and reading the various books in Kandrakar's library. He didn't understand the words, but he enjoyed the detailed pictures. Isabelle, on the other hand, was very active, and constantly asking questions about the things around her. Irma did her best to answer the ones she could, and avoid the ones she couldn't. As the day winded to an end, Irma found herself playing with a strange ball her and Isabelle had found. They didn't know what it was, but it bounced very well and always in a random direction. This made any attempts at catching it often difficult, but always entertaining.

"Irma?" Isabell asked as the ball bounced over her head. "What's going to happen to me and Harper when this is over?"

"What do you mean?" Irma replied. "You'll go back to living with your… family."

Irma knew that the children were ignorant on the potential and probable fate of their mother, so she was careful to substitute words like 'parents' for ones like 'family'.

"We won't have to stay here?" Isabelle asked. "Isn't our home gone?"

Irma couldn't help but smile a little. This 11-year-old girl was talking about where she would live now that her planet had been destroyed. Her voice quavered slightly, but all and all this was a brave kid.

"Well… let's just say we're working on your home." Irma said. "You may need some temporary accommodations, but we can find you some place nice."

"I can help you know! I… I can start looking for places! Maybe I can make us a new home…" Isabelle said eagerly.

"I don't think you'll need to do that." Irma said with a laugh.

Irma finally caught the errant ball and turned to see that Isabelle was shaking. Her lip quivered, and her tiny fists were shaking.

"Isa, what's wrong?" Irma asked. "Are you crying?"

"No." Isabelle said, her wavering voice betraying her words "I'm strong. I need to be strong."

"Honey, you are strong." Irma said, putting an arm around the child.

"I'm not as strong as you. Or as brave as any of you." Isabella sniffed. "I wish I wasn't so afraid. I wish I was brave."

"You want to know something?" Irma said. "I can fly. But sometimes, when I get up high, I'm still scared."

"You? You're scared?" Isabelle asked.

"Oh, sure! I'm scared of loads of things." Irma said. "I'm scared of the same things you are! But there's nothing wrong with being afraid, and there's nothing wrong with crying or showing emotions. It's about what you do, not what you feel. Bravery isn't lack of fear, it's doing the right thing in spite of it."

"I want to be brave…" Isabelle said.

"You are!" Irma replied, giving Isabelle a big hug. "If I was in your shoes, I'd be huddled in a corner. But you're still standing, and that's impressive! And it's inspiring the rest of us. So don't worry, you're the bravest one of us all."

Irma held Isabelle tightly in her arms, wishing she could absorb all the pain inside. There had once been a time when she had questioned whether it was worth being a Guardian. But now she knew that as long as there were innocents like Isabelle to be protected, she would never stop fighting.

Her thoughts, and the embrace, were interrupted by an opening portal. Much to Irma's surprise, Walli stepped through, followed by Caleb's head.

"One rouge archer, get him while he's hot." Caleb said with a smile. "He rode all day to get back to the castle, and the first thing he does is head to Kandrakar! Some friend. Nice to see you too pal!"

"I have thanked you profusely for your use of the Tonga Tooth." Walli said. "Now, if you don't mind…"

Caleb rolled his eyes but dutifully closed the portal.

"You better run along too, Isabelle. Go find your brother." Irma said, getting to her feet.

"The battle? When will the villains arrive?" Walli asked.

"Tomorrow. That's our best guess." Irma replied. "How's the bridge over troubled water?"

"Still incomplete." Walli admitted.

"Then why return? You still could have finished it."

"Perhaps." Walli said. "But there was a look in your eyes when we last talked that I had never seen before."

"Oh? Which look was that?" Irma said, blushing.

"Fear."

"Oh. That look. No, trust me, it's been there before." Irma replied.

"Not like this." Walli said. "And it would stand to reason that if you're worried about your safety, then mine is virtually non-existent."

"Walli, I'm going to do my best to…" Irma started.

"I am not afraid of death." Walli interrupted. "I trust you and the rest of the girls. Should I fall tomorrow, I am sure it will not be in vain. But for now, I'm not finished with life."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning this might very likely be my last night. And I did not want to spend it alone. I would rather be with a friend."

Irma beamed and gave Walli a warm hug, which was cheerfully returned.

"Well then Walli," She said. "You've come to the right place."

Meridian

Caleb, Cornelia and Elyon leaned against the balcony railing of the royal chambers. They took turns sharing stories, telling jokes and laughing. Cornelia could think of no place she'd rather be then next to her best friend and the man she loved. For Elyon, watching the sun set over the peaceful city below was the greatest victory she could have ever hoped for. For Caleb, it was the culmination of a lifetime of hard work. And it was worth every day.

Kandrakar

Taranee knew the looks she would have gotten, and the jokes that would have been made if the girls had known that she was spending her final night in a library, but she didn't care. According to the elder who had led her here, Kandrakar's library contained more information then any other room in existence. Some of that information was in the traditional form of books, but other knowledge was found in the form of art, sculptures, and some forms Taranee had never seen before. It was far too much for Taranee to absorb in one night, but she didn't care. She wasn't even really going to try. She just liked being surrounded by the knowledge of the universe. For now, even if just for now, it was her universe to discover.

Zamballa

In Eric's brief journey into the worlds of the Guardians, he had been yelled at, attacked, subjected to a multitude of medical tests and, of course, died. But Hay Lin was determined that he would remember more then just the horrors of the universe. So she had taken him to the most beautiful place she knew of, the high mountain cliff that overlooked the vast fuchsia forest of Zamballa. Occasionally, a tree could be seen moving through the woods, out for a midnight stroll. As Eric watched the beautiful purple hues shift below him, he suddenly understood very clearly why Hay Lin loved what she did.

Heatherfield

Will had to admit, she would rather be at home. Her perfect evening consisted of pizza with her mom while watching a cheesy romance on TV. But the alibies the girls had created to free themselves for the weekend prohibited any contact with family, least suspicions be raised. So she settled for the next best thing which, she had to say, was still pretty amazing. She soared high over Heatherfield, feeling the wind tug at her wings. Matt spiraled around her soaking in the respective beauty of the city, the moon, and Will. Will doubted she would ever truly get used to the feel of flight, and the scenery below only served to enhance the experience. They may have visited hundreds of worlds, but only Heatherfield was home. And tonight, there were no monsters or demons, only Heatherfield. The city was theirs, if only for one final night.


	25. To The Death

Chapter 24

To The Death

Kandrakar

At approximately 8:26 am, Heatherfield time, the beings known as Life and Death arrived at the fortress of Kandrakar. They did not come alone. Both creatures were followed by their respective armies, the controlled citizens of the countless worlds they had visited since their revival. Together, they numbered in the trillions.

Kandrakar, for their part, had laid out the proverbial carpet in preparation for the visit. Deciding that the fortress would not survive whatever battle was looming, the elders had hastily constructed a large, open space upon which Life and Death now landed. Their armies followed them, until a large section of the space was occupied by a monochromatic mass. Standing trillions strong, and lead by the two most powerful beings in the universe, it was an impressive sight to say the least.

On the other side of the area, best described as a field, far enough away that no individual faces could be made out by either Life or Death, stood one man, and six women. Matt, the tallest and the lone male, stood in the back with his outspread wings setting a background for the rest. The Guardians stood tall and proud, defiantly facing down their distant opponent. Gabriella stood beside them, shaking.

"Scared?" Irma asked, turning to the Heart of the Universe.

"Yeah." Gabriella replied.

"Good." Irma said with a smile. "Will? Call them in!"

Will raised the Heart of Kandrakar, a signal that was received by Kandrakar. At once, a beam fired from Kandrakar's highest spire shone down upon Will, and hundreds of portals opened up behind her. Out of each one stepped an army, courtesy of every world that Will and Matt had visited and had agreed to assist. From the Zabu's of Aaborn, to the Wraith Knights of Zyra, they were the collected armies of the universe, and they were ready to fight.

"Are you done with your posturing?" Death asked.

Despite the great distance between the two, Will felt as if Death's voice had come from right beside her.

"At least this one knows how to lose in style." Life added. "Remember how boring the old one was?"

Will ignored Life and Death and turned to the millions of soldiers behind her.

"I know none of you know who I am." She began. "And few of you probably understand why you were ordered to be here. Well don't worry, it's very simple. The people on the other end of this field are not here by their own will. That army has been manipulated and controlled by the two rather imposing creatures in front of them. They would like to do the same thing to you. And to your family. And to your world. Until they control the entire universe like puppets on a string. And if we do not defeat that army, they will succeed."

Will didn't have to turn around to hear the thundering sound of a million feet rushing towards her. Life and Death had begun their approach. With a whoosh of air, Gabriella took to the skies to intercept the creatures as only she could. Will could also tell that the army in front of her was ready to fight, and she was almost ready to let them.

"They have come for our homes!" She shouted. "They have come for our people! They have come to take away everything we have ever worked for! And now, in sacred Kandrakar, they have come for Heaven!"

Will turned and fired a single blast that eradicated a line of the approaching army.

"I say we give them Hell!"

From here, the battle split in two. Gabriella was now well above the battlefield, and was face to face with both Life and Death. Energies the likes of which the cosmos had not seen in millennia shattered the sky and shook the combatants to their cores. Even though all three cosmic beings were now several miles above ground, the shockwaves of the blows being dealt were felt by those below. Anyone who carelessly looked up at the battle for a prolonged period of time would be blinded by the radiating glow.

Far below, a more conventional, if no less unusual battle took place. The armies of the free universe found themselves up against those controlled by the powers of Life and Death. There were some who had been recruited by Will that thought at first that this great battle had been somewhat overestimated. After all, they were the greatest warriors in the universe, and their foes were simply average citizens, armed with nothing but their fists. However, it soon became clear this was not the case.

Firstly, the controlled masses outnumbered their foes 10:1. Life and Death did not have armies, they had populations. These were entire planets worth of people, and with every one that fell, two more took their place. Secondly, these were no ordinary citizens. Their touch carried the powers of those inside of them, and prolonged exposure to this touch was enough to be taken over by that force. Any of the warriors could defeat one of Life or Death's minions, but when attacked by ten, it was only a matter of time before the number advantage came into effect. And if a warrior went down, they would soon get back up for the other side.

The Guardians did their best to bridge the gap between these two battles. Their hearts, especially Cornelia and Irma who spent most of their time trying to locate Caleb and Walli, were in the battle below. But they all knew that the real battle was miles above. If Gabriella could not defeat Life and Death, it wouldn't matter how hard they fought below, the end would be the same. They also knew, however, that they themselves wouldn't last five seconds in the conflict waging above.

"Well we have to do something!" Hay Lin said, watching the chaos unfold below.

"We will. But Gabriella is our top priority." Will said.

"Although we're little more then glorified cheerleaders on that front." Taranee noted bitterly.

"Yeah, kind of makes you mad, doesn't it?" Irma said. "Why don't we release some of that anger?"

Irma, followed quickly by the rest of the Guardians, swooped down into the fray raging on below. They hated to admit it, but there was something very relaxing about the fight. There were no intricate moves, no complex strategies for Will to think about. Their targets were obvious, they were vulnerable, and they were plentiful. The girls could just lean back and fire at will.

The bliss that accompanied mowing down enemies quickly disappeared as a troublesome sight caught Will's attention. Near the rear of Life and Death's army, people were beginning to rise into the air. The girls didn't have to look twice to know where they were headed. Life and Death were obviously ready and willing to use their disciples as weapons in their fight against Gabriella.

"Looks like we got a mission girls!" Will shouted over the fighting. "Gabriella's top priority. We don't let them get to her, understand?"

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" Irma replied with a mock salute before soaring even higher into the sky.

The girls intercepted the trajectory of those flying, and began picking them off wave at a time.

"Looks like all those times playing video games finally paid off!" Irma said. "This is just a clone of any zombie game you can think of!"

"With the stakes maybe a little bit higher." Cornelia added.

"These people don't seem to have any control where they're going." Taranee said, utilizing a wall of fire to cut down any who approached. "Doesn't look like Life or Death are able to spare any energy to guide these guys."

"That's a good thing, right?" Hay Lin asked.

"It means that whatever is going on up there is pretty intense." Will replied.

"Man, I hope Gabriella's alright. We never should've sent her up there alone." Cornelia said. "She's not a fighter, she's a mom!"

"We didn't have any choice. No sense worrying about it now." Will said. "Besides, haven't you learned? Mom's are pretty tough!"

Just as abruptly as it had started, the waves of ascending people ceased.

"Well, either they couldn't spare the energy to maintain the flight of all those people…" Hay Lin said.

"Or they don't need them anymore." Taranee finished.

"I sure hope it's the good news, because we could use some." Will said, pointing down.

The line separating the warriors of the universe from Life and Death's thralls was slowly but surely being pushed towards the Guardians allies. With every passing second, another warrior fell and the line moved that much further. Meanwhile, the mass of humanity on the other side still stretched as far as the eye could see.

As they watched on, momentarily stunned by the scene, Cornelia spotted a familiar glint of steel, held by a man in a torn brown jacket.

"Caleb!"

"Cornelia, wait!" Taranee shouted as the Earth Guardian dove quickly towards the Honor Guard captain. "We have to help them all! We can't…"

Taranee was silenced by a hand on her shoulder, courtesy of Will.

"Let her have this." Will said calmly.

"But…"

"Trust me." Will said. "It's Caleb and Cornelia. How else could it end?"

Cornelia swooped down just in time to erect a wall between Caleb and a charging wave of Death's minions.

"Don't worry honey, I've got your back." She said, landing silently.

"I could've taken them." Caleb replied, fighting of some of Life's people. "But thanks."

"Uh, should I feel bad about killing all these people?" Raythor asked, separating another head from its shoulders. "I don't, but should I?"

"Nah." Hay Lin replied. "They're already pretty much dead already. Besides, it won't matter in the long run."

"Not even going to ask what that means." Raythor replied.

"How does it look from up there?" Caleb asked. "How many more are there?"

"Don't worry about it, just keep swinging." Cornelia replied, but Caleb could sense the deception in her voice.

"We're not going to win, are we?" He asked. "We were never going to win. The second we got here we were doomed to die. And you knew it, didn't you?"

Cornelia had never wanted to lie more in her life, but looking into the eyes of the man she loved, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Caleb, I'm so sorry…" She began, but Caleb put a finger to her lips.

"Cornelia, before I met you, I lived in hell." He said. "I went to bed every night for 15 years wondering if I was even going to wake up in the morning. Since I met you, I've been happier then I ever thought possible. You have no reason to apologize."

"So it is true?" Walli said, scavenging some arrows from the ground. "This is an unwinnable battle?"

"It wasn't supposed to be this way." Irma said. "There were so many things I wanted to say Walli. I…"

"I may not have a way with words like Caleb." Walli interrupted. "But I know I am grateful for what we did have a chance to say. I am very glad I met you Irma Lair."

"Right back at ya." Irma said with a smile.

Hovering above the battle, Will and Matt stood side by side and rained down energy on their foes.

"You good Matt?" Will asked. "You know that you…"

"Hey." Matt said, and Will could feel his smile even if she couldn't see it. "I trust you."

It was all that needed to be said.

Raythor was the first to fall.

Vathek, put on the front line due to his naturally tougher skin, was nearly overwhelmed by Death's minions. Raythor bought him some time at the cost of his own life.

Drake and Tynar were next, fighting back-to-back, and refusing to join the others in retreat. They were swallowed up by the forces of Life, disappearing into a sea of white light.

A few minutes later, Raythor's sacrifice proved to be in vain as Vathek fell before the endless waves of dark fighters.

"How much more…" Hay Lin said, fighting and retreating at the same time. It was clear there would soon be nowhere left to retreat to.

"None of this matters, correct?" Julian said, trying not to think about the losses sustained. "In the grand scheme of things?"

"Right." Will replied. "All that matters is the battle above. If Gabriella can…"

Will was interrupted by the sound of whistling from above. Will knew instantly what the sound was and what it represented. It was the sound of something, or someone, falling from a very great height. Sure enough, as the Guardians and the remaining members of the Honor Guard watched on in dismay, the object landed on the ground with an impact that sent anyone nearby flying backwards. When the Guardians regained their senses, they found Gabriella lying in a small crater. Bruised, battered, and defeated.

Will could barely force herself to look up as white and black points of light began to descend from above. She clenched her fists on instinct alone. She knew the fighting was over. And, for the first time since she had first donned the wings all those years ago, the end was very much in sight.


	26. Of Gods and Women

Chapter 25

Of Gods and Women

Kandrakar 

20 Minutes Earlier

As Gabriella rose into the sky, she was quite sure she would never reach her foes. She was convinced that her heart would burst out of her chest, and she would fall dead to the ground, a disappointment to her friends and her family. She wasn't used to such excitement. She had never known the feelings of fear and dread that now coursed through her bodies, stiffening every muscle and tearing at every nerve. The worst she was used to were late meetings at work and dreaded calls from the principal, saying that Isabelle had done something new. But for the most part, she enjoyed the calm of lazy summer days sitting next to Rupert. As the people below her became mere specks, she wondered if she'd ever be calm again. With the looming specters of Life and Death in front of her, she highly doubted it.

"So, this is the new incarnation?" Death asked.

"She's feisty." Life said, looking Gabriella over. "I wonder if…"

Gabriella channeled her energy into a fierce blast that silenced life and sent the white woman flying backwards. The beam was crude and unrefined, a testament to Gabriella's inexperience with her powers, but it was still enough to leave life visibly shaken.

"Oof! Not much of a talker this one…"

Gabriella hit Life again, silencing her once more. She wasn't interested in false bravado. She simply wanted to hit the two villains with everything she had. There was no time for the chaotic chattering's of Life. Death, however, was far more focused.

Gabriella had no time to react as a black blade cut at her defenses. One of the first things Gabriella had been taught was to have a wall of energy surrounding herself at all times. That wall was the only thing that stopped the razor sharp blade of Death from cutting her in half. Still, the sheer impact of the hit was enough to send her skidding backwards. While she tried to regain her balance, Death pounced on her, blade raised. Gabriella forced him back with another beam of energy, sending Death tumbling through the air. The blast was a result of instinct alone.

"She cannot form complex objects like we can." Death said, retracting the blade. "She does not have the experience. The day will be ours."

"Less yakking more attacking." Life said, charging in once more.

This time, Gabriella's defenses were too slow, and Life impacted with the force of a freight train. Life propelled them across the sky like a rocket as Gabriella struggled to catch her breath. She instinctively clawed at Life's back, channeling her energy through her hands and cutting at the woman's flesh. Just as she thought she heard life screaming in pain, she was slammed against Death's outstretched fist.

The impact occurred at such high speeds that any other person would have been ripped in two. Only Gabriella's protective shielding allowed her to survive, and even then just barely. Life took advantage of Gabriella's stunned state to deliver blow after punishing blow to the mother of two. Gabriella wanted nothing more then to give up right there and then, but the thought of Isabelle and Harper pushed her on. Desperately and defiantly, she released her energy in a slowly expanding sphere, pushing Life and Death backwards. While they were temporarily dazed, she turned and stretched her arms in opposite directions, so that each one was pointing at her foes. Summoning up her remaining strength, she fired a concentrated blast of pure energy from both hands, decimating both Life and Death.

The blasts were incredible feats of power, but Gabriella knew it was only the start. She leapt at Life, clawing, punching and shooting with the fury of a wild animal. Only her feral instincts were in play now, she delivered blows without even thinking about what she was doing. Gabriella the mother had gone away, and now The Heart of the Universe had arrived.

Her fury was dampened by the icy blast of Death, which connected on both Gabriella and Life. Both were sent flying, but Gabriella took the brunt of the impact.

"Hey, watch it!" Life said, swatting Gabriella aside and approaching Death. "You hit me with that too you know! You're going to end up destroying me if you're not…"

Death did not reply, he simply smiled back at his sister. Life knew that his aim had not been off.

"You backstabbing son of a…"

The qualities of his mother were left unspoken, as Gabriella once more pounced on Life. She sensed Life's waning energies, a by-product of Gabriella's constant attacks, and knew that it would be only minutes before Life was finished. If she could just last that long…

As Gabriella poured everything she had into the reeling Life, Death watched on in contemplative interest. Just when it looked like Gabriella's victory over his sister was assured, he casually began drifting towards the conflict. Gabriella had battered Life into submission, and her fist was raised in what was surely the final blow when Death grabbed her wrist on the upswing. He used it to spin Gabriella around and hoist her up by the neck.

In her excitement over defeating Life, Gabriella had syphoned off power from her defenses into a full out frontal assault. It had incapacitated Life, but it had left her vulnerable to Death's chilling touch. The icy darkness spread over Gabriella as her strength dwindled.

"You fought well mortal." Death said, watching Gabriella go limp. "But in the end, mortal is all you are. And us? We are gods."

Death released his grip on Gabriella, and she began the long decent back to earth. Panic rose as the miles passed, the rushing wind eating away at what little hope she had left. She had been given a chance to set everything right. A chance to preserve a future for her family and it had slipped though her fingers. Could she have fought harder? Could she have been faster, stronger, tougher? In the end it didn't matter what she could have been, she simply wasn't. The battle had been lost, and everything else with it. All that was left was the fall.

Will stared dumbstruck at the image before her. Gabriella lay in the center of the smoking crater, a circle of the surviving Guardians and Honor Guard members around her. It took several seconds for Will to recover from the shock and the blast. She was all ready to give orders when she noticed Taranee was way ahead of her. The fire Guardian was in the pit checking Gabriella for signs of life. A faint moan told all around that the woman was defeated, but not dead.

As Will watched the twin points of light and darkness descend from the heavens, she cursed the ounce of joy in her heart. Yes, Gabriella falling rekindled a spark of hope for her fallen friends, such as Vathek, but it had spelled doom for so many more.

"Welcome to the third universal age!" Death said, voice calm as always. "Your heroes are dead, your champion defeated. The weak, old malignant ways of unchecked chaos are over, replaced by the younger, stronger ways of control and order. Such is the way of the universe."

"_How is she?"_ Will asked Taranee telepathically.

"_Dazed, but she'll be ready."_ Taranee replied.

"_Will, no backing out now."_ Irma said. _"This has got to happen. Just as we planned."_

"_Thanks Irma. No pressure though, right?" _Will replied, trying to listen to Death's speech at the same time.

"_Hey, you've got nothing to worry about."_ Hay Lin added.

"_She's right. We're all here Will. To the bitter end." _Cornelia said.

"…as it was before, so shall it be again." Death concluded at last.

"Can we just kill them already?" Life asked, growing visibly restless.

"Patience, my sister." Death replied. "The girls jewel protects her companions from our influence, albeit temporarily…"

Will knew he was right. Already the Heart burned white hot from the struggle of keeping both Life and Death at bay. She couldn't last much longer.

"…but it does not protect the rest of her army."

The girls spun to see that they were now shockingly alone. With the exception of the Honor Guard and Matt, who had been standing close enough to be under the Heart's influence, the rest of their army was now glowing white or black, each a victim of Life and Death's now unchecked power. The circle began closing in on the girls, but Cornelia quickly erected a stonewall of protection. Will simply lowered her head.

"Can't keep this up for too long." Cornelia said.

"A moment like this has only occurred once before, child." Death said to Will. "Your universe is dead, I will give you the honor of performing the eulogy. A final word, perhaps?"

Will's eyes snapped upwards. If Life and Death had expected to see resignation on Will's face, they were sadly disappointed. Will may have been beaten, battered, bruised and exhausted, but she was still a Guardian. With the last of her strength, she ripped the Heart from around her neck and held it high. It shone with a brightness that beat back the ebony depths of Death. It was a symbol for every free person in the universe. It was a light against the face of absolute despair, and it shone bright.

"You want a word? We'll give you two." Will said as the girls grouped up around her.

"Guardians unite!"

Hearing her cue, Gabriella sat up and unleashed the last of her energies at Death, while Will did the same with the Heart of Kandrakar. Death braced for impact, but none came. Instead of the pain that normally accompanied one of Gabriella's blasts, he felt strength. The one who did start to feel agony was Life, who wasn't getting hit at all. As the streams of energy continued, Death felt his essence begin to grow. He felt more powerful then ever before, and it kept coming.

"What is this?" He asked, both confused and elated. "You're giving you power willingly to me? Have you truly lost all hope?"

"Not quite." Will said with a smile.

As Death continued to grow, a series of things began to happen. First, everyone on the battlefield began to turn black as Death's influence overpowered Life's. In a few minutes, everyone had become under Death's control, save for Gabriella and the Guardians, whom she had protected with a small reserve of power. Although they couldn't know for sure, the Guardians expected that the rest of the universe was sharing a similar fate.

As this occurred, Life began to collapse to the ground, getting visibly smaller and weaker with every second. As the citizens of the universe began to blink out of existence, the life energy upon which Life fed disappeared, and her strength went with it.

"St… Stop!" Life screamed, clawing at the ground. "He's killing them all!"

"As it was always destined to happen!" Death shouted triumphantly. "My power, combined with that of the Heart of the Universe has given me complete dominion over this reality! The balance has shifted sister, can you not feel it? On every corner of every world, all is Death! Let the heavens quake, for their master has arrived. Behold me! I am Death, and the universe is…"

As he spoke, Life disappeared from existence with a puff of white light.

"…mine?" Death finished, a strange look coming over his face. "What is this? Why do I feel so…?"

"The balance hasn't shifted, it's been eliminated." Will sneered. "Except for the six of us, there is no more life in the universe. You're right. All is Death."

"Then why does it hurt? What have you done?" Death shouted, beginning to shrink.

"You were too arrogant." Will said. "With all life gone, there's no one left to die. That means your power is gone too! Now we may not be 'gods' like you, but I've learned something as a Guardian. I'd never be as strong alone as I am with my friends, and you just killed your last one. And it's a universal truth, without life, there is no Death!"

Death fell to his knees, and let loose a blood-curdling scream. He screamed with the pain of untold millennia, and he screamed with the agony of a trillion souls. It was a sound that ripped through the sky and shocked the girls to their core. It was a scream none of them would ever forget.

And then, as Death faded away just as Life had, there was silence. Gabriella fell to the ground, clutching her head. The Guardians stood there quietly settling themselves after all they had witnessed. They were the only ones left on the battlefield. The bodies of all those Life and Death had controlled, every person in the universe, had now vanished along with their masters. All that remained were five young girls and one collapsed mother of two. The last survivors of a dead universe.


	27. The Sacrifice

Chapter 26

The Sacrifice

Kandrakar

Will was deafened by silence. She had never noticed how much ambient sound there had been around her before. The movement of footsteps, the buzz of conversation, all of it was gone. Every living soul apart from the six women who now stood huddled together was gone from the universe. The noise was gone, and now all Will could hear was the pounding of her own heart in her ears. Its beat echoed in her mind as she thought of all of those lost, getting faster with every name.

Caleb, Elyon, Raythor, Walli, Vathek…

ba-dum

Himerish, Yan Lin, her mother…

Ba-Dum

Matt

BA-DUM

She shook her head clear and forced herself to listen to what was going on around her. This, she told herself, was not the end. There was still hope, but it rested on the woman who was now collapsed on the floor, head in hands.

"Well that's not encouraging." Irma said, staring down at Gabriella quivering body.

"Master of understatement as always." Cornelia replied.

"Hey, we just killed the universe. Everything's an understatement at this point." Irma retorted.

Taranee ignored the pair and knelt next to Gabriella, carefully holding her hand.

"Gabriella? Can you hear us?" She asked.

"I… yes." Gabreilla said. "Yes, I'm here. I need… I just need some time."

"She's not only having to cope with her powers, but those of Life and Death too."

"Energy can't be destroyed or something, right?" Irma said. "Didn't I learn that somewhere."

"Yeah, so when we took out Life and Death, all their power, all their energy, it went to her?" Cornelia asked.

"That's the theory, yeah." Taranee replied.

"Since we're talking end of the universe here, can we get anything more concrete then 'theory'?" Irma asked.

"Sorry Irma, there's no guidelines or manual for what to do when you kill the universe. It's not something you can just turn off and on again." Taranee replied.

"I guess Endarno was right." Hay Lin said. "He said we were going to kill the universe and hey, what do you know? Here we are."

"Poor guy. He died trying to stop us. He didn't realize it was our only hope." Cornelia said.

Taranee glanced over at Will, who had been silent at this point

"Chips are on the table Will." Taranee said. "We're all in now. Ready to show our hand?"

Will took another deep breath and approached Gabriella. She felt as if every person who had, or ever would have been alive, was now watching over her shoulder. The fate of the universe depended on this conversation.

"Gabriella, I need you to listen." Will said, kneeling next to the woman.

"Will? Is that… is that you? Why are you so far away?" Gabriella asked, cautiously glancing upwards.

"We have to reel her in." Taranee said. "Her consciousness is too spread out. We need to bring it back to the here and now."

"Gabriella, remember why you're here." Will said. "When I travelled the universe, when I brought the Heart to all the worlds in existence, it was a two way conduit. Yes, the Heart taught them of the threat Life and Death imposed, but it also learned. It absorbed all the thoughts and memories of the leaders it touched. It learned the culture, the geography, and the people of every world. It stored them all inside. All the worlds are right here Gabriella, right here in the Heart of Kandrakar. All we have to do is rebuild them. With your own power, along with Life and Death's, you can bring them all back! Even those who fell in battle! Remember?"

"The worlds aren't in there." Gabriella said. "They're out there! So far away, so alone…"

"She's going all philosophical on us again." Hay Lin said.

"Gabriella, remember Isabelle?" Irma said, pushing her way to the front.

"Isabelle?" Gabriella said, struggling to remember.

"Remember how proud you always were? How strong she was? How brave? How nothing could keep her down?" Irma said.

"And Harper?" Hay Lin added. "How smart he was? How you knew, deep down inside, that he was going to do something incredible one day? How much potential he had?"

"And Rupert." Cornelia said. "How he always stood by you. How he loved you even at your worse. How you couldn't imagine life without him."

"Yes! I remember them! All of them!" Gabriella said, her eyes opening wide for the first time.

"Good to have you back." Taranee said with a smile.

"Will…" Gabriella stammered. "Will… I want…"

"Yes?"

"I want to see them again."

Will froze for a second, her heart racing up into her throat.

"I need to see them again." Gabriella repeated. "Please, they mean so much to me. I can't do it without them.

Will was briefly stunned by the emotion in Gabriella's words. She had tried to prepare for this moment, one she knew was coming. But nothing could have readied her for the passion behind Gabriella's eyes. She braced herself, gathered her thoughts, and chose her words carefully.

"I don't know what you're feeling." Will began. "I can't imagine the power inside, what it must be like, trying to contain it. But I know what you're thinking, because it's the same thing I've been thinking ever since I became a Guardian. That the world is on your shoulders, like so many are counting on you being strong, and you're not sure you can do it anymore. And you sure as hell don't want to."

"I just want my family." Gabriella pleaded once more. "I want to grow old with them. I don't care about cosmic beings or universal wars! What happens to me? Don't I deserve happiness too?"

"Yes, you do." Will replied. "But that's the sacrifice. You lose yourself. The second we were put into this position, whether we want it or not, we lost ourselves. Every thing we were, everything we wanted to be is gone, replaced by the next fight, the next battle. That's the price we have to pay. That's the price you're paying now."

"Then why?" Gabriella screamed. "All I see in front of me is blackness, why should I walk towards it?"

"Because you're the sacrifice, but they're the reward." Will said. "It's not about us, it never was. It's about them. All the people you meet, every smile they give you, every time they've been that light in the black, that's what you get! That's the reward! You let yourself go and you give it to them, because them? Letting them grow, seeing who they become and what they can do? That's the greatest gift."

"And is it worth it?"

"Yes." Will said with a smile, the first genuine one she had had since this whole thing began. "I knew this day was coming. I knew, as soon as we got our wings that this was going to end badly one day. I always figured it would be me to take the bullet. I prepared for it, I was ready for it, even though I dreaded it every day. And now that it's happening? Gabriella, you have no idea how much I wish it was me. Because yes, they're worth it."

Gabriella clenched her fists and slowly but surely got to her feet. Her eyes burned white behind her sockets as the energy started to slip though.

"For them?" She asked.

"For them." Will replied. "I'm sorry you never got your chance to be happy Gabriella. Let them have theirs."

Gabriella began to ascend into the sky, her body becoming brighter and brighter with every foot she rose.

"Tell Isabelle to stay strong." She said. "Tell Harper to be himself, and tell Rupert… Tell him I love him, and always will."

"We will." Irma said, tears welling up in her own eyes.

"Oh, and girls?"

"Yeah?"

"This is your universe now. Make me proud."

Gabriella spread her arms wide and the light burst outwards. The light shone in all directions, save for one beam that focused in on the Heart of Kandrakar. Through this beam, Gabriella absorbed the memories and thoughts of every world that had accepted Will's call. Once every name and every city had been captured, it was released in the greatest display of energy the universe had ever seen.

Will did her best to stay conscious, desperate to witness the universal rebirth. Wave after wave of energy crashed over her, forcing her to turn away from the blinding light. She did everything she could to keep watching for just one more second, but it was in vain. Eventually the energy proved to be too much, and she gave in to her exhausted body.

* * *

Will awoke to the feeling of warmth. Everything else, however, was static. Her brain buzzed like a hornet's nest, and her ears rang with a distant, piercing shriek. Even her eyes betrayed her, revealing nothing but a white canvas, upon which blurred lines slowly began to appear.

"We've got her, she's coming back." A voice said, fighting it's way through the haze.

As she blinked rapidly, she slowly began making out the image of a man, who became more and more familiar with each second.

"Matt?" Will said groggily. "Matt? Is that you?"

"Yeah, the whole gang's here." Matt said with a smile.

Will forced her body into an upright position, surveying the scene in front of her. An assortment of Honor Guard members, alien warriors and Kanrakar elders formed a wide circle around her, each one staring back.

"The girls?" Will asked, struggling to turn her head.

"We're alive." Cornelia said, somewhere beyond Will's vision. "Although the way I'm feeling, I kind of wish I wasn't."

Will used the last of her strength to find each Guardian in a similar state to her own. Exhausted, but alive. Satisfied that everyone was alright, Will submitted to her protesting muscles and collapsed on the ground.

"Never again. We are never doing that again." Will said.

"Fine by me." Matt said, grasping Will's hand firmly. "We've got medics standing by, stay still."

"We're fine." Hay Lin said. "Or we will be. Help those who need it. Vathek…"

"I'm okay. We all are." Vathek's familiar voice replied. "But, um, not that I'm complaining, shouldn't I be dead? I feel like I died…"

"Nah, don't worry about it." Cornelia replied.

"The girls will explain when they're ready." Julian said. "For now, all that is important is that all of us, even those not in the Honor Guard, are safe and healthy."

"In that case, pamper me!" Irma said, lying flat on her back. "I want ten showers, two days of uninterrupted sleep and if someone doesn't get me a cheeseburger in the next ten minutes…"

"I'd say you earned it." Caleb said. "You five just saved the universe."

"Of course, that's pretty much an annual thing for us." Taranee said, the first to sit up.

"Still, let's enjoy it before the weight of the universe crashes down on us again." Will said.

"Gabriella! Gabriella! Please, has anyone seen my wife?"

"Too late." Cornelia said.

Will felt the waves of exhaustion crash over her once more. She had dreaded this moment more then any other.

"Please, is she here? Is she…?" Rupert pleaded, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Will watched as Hay Lin and Cornelia comforted the grief stricken man, tears flowing down his face. Irma took Isabelle in her arms, holding the sobbing girl tightly while Taranee said what kind words she could. Will did her part by kneeling in front of Harper, the youngest of the three. It was clear he still hadn't comprehended what had happened, but Will could tell that he knew the truth deep inside. She didn't have to say a word.

As she wrapped the young boy in her arms, she gazed out at the scene in front of her. Everything they had fought for was right here. They had won, and the universe went on. Pain and joy would come and go, and the constant ebb and flow of reality was back in its rightful place. All of it, the sadness and the elation, were life in its purest form. The people, the emotions; they were the rewards that the Guardians could enjoy for the rest of their life. And the sacrifice would never be forgotten.


	28. The Setting Sun

Chapter 27

The Setting Sun

Meridian

Irma Lair and Cornelia Hale were happy, and they had every reason to be. They were surrounded by friends, and for one, a lover. Their minds were as free from doubt and worry as they had been for years. They had paid their dues, and were reaping their rewards in the form of a light meal at Meridian Castle, courtesy of Elyon and the Honor Guard. They quickly discovered that Meridian's definition of 'light' was quite different then their own.

"What do you mean, I died twice?" Vathek asked.

"I mean you fell in battle, then Death brought you, and everyone else, back. Then you died again when we killed the universe." Cornelia explained.

"Heh, figures you would fall in battle." Raythor said with a smirk.

"You did too." Irma replied. "Actually, as I recall, you died first Raythor."

"Ha!" Vathek snapped back.

"What? How did I die?" Raythor asked.

"You died saving Vathek."

Raythor blushed as the room teased him with exaggerated 'awww's'.

"You two are adorable." Caleb said. "Worst of enemies, and now best of friends."

"Kinda wish I'd stayed dead." Raythor mumbled.

"Can we just marvel over the fact that the phrase 'when we killed the universe' is one that was just used?" Drake said.

"How about we marvel over the fact that, for once, Meridian didn't actually have to do anything or get attacked." Elyon said. "This has been our most peaceful few months ever!"

"Apart from the whole 'everyone died' thing." Caleb said.

"Meh, they got better." Elyon said.

"Here's hoping it stays that way." Cornelia said.

A hearty 'here here!' echoed through the dining hall as the rest of the Honor Guard shared Cornelia's sentiment.

"So what are you girls up to now?" Julian asked.

"We're taking care of some loose ends, then we get a 'sanctioned leave of absence'. The Oracle's words, not mine." Irma said.

"Basically we're just killing time until something else eats the universe." Cornelia added.

"Well, you're always welcome here at the castle." Elyon said. "I'm sure Caleb would love to see more of you."

Once more, a chorus of 'awww's' resonated through the room, but Caleb took it with a smile.

"Hey, I'm not going to deny it." He said, turning to Cornelia. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Irma rolled her eyes and turned to Walli, who was sitting next to her.

"If you ever catch me being that mushy, shoot me." She said.

"Deal." Walli replied. And Irma couldn't quite tell if he was joking or not.

"So what does the Honor Guard do now?" Cornelia asked. "It's been a while since Meridian has been under any specific threat. Are you guys finally getting a chance to relax?"

"Maybe…" Caleb said with a smile. "But somehow I doubt it."

"There's been a big spike in crime lately." Elyon said. "Of the organized variety. Might need to send some of my boys to check it out."

"Plus there are rumors of a weird sand creature out west." Drake added. "Thought it might be an old friend of ours."

"Don't worry, we'll keep busy." Caleb said.

"What about you?" Julian asked. "What do you do after you save the universe?"

"Well, short term, we're all meeting up in the Silver Dragon's basement tonight to talk about that." Cornelia said.

"And long term?"

"Life." Irma said. "And everything that comes with it."

"The best fight there is." Cornelia said with a smile.

Geneite

Taranee gazed in wonderment at the world around her, transfixed by all she saw. Geneite, home of Spectre and his people, was an incredible mix of technology and culture. Electronic panels and display screens fit in seamlessly with ornate structures and amazingly detailed statues. It was a world the likes of which Taranee had never seen before. Her constantly twisting neck often got her in trouble, however, and she found herself spending a large amount of time apologizing to fellow pedestrians she was bumping into.

"Your people must think I'm a freak." Taranee said, looking up at Spectre.

"Yes, they do." Spectre replied bluntly as they moved their way through the streets. "Based on the whispers I'm hearing, they think you are part of a theatre production based on your appearance."

"They seem pretty calm." Taranee said. "You know, considering they were just brought back to life…"

"I doubt any of them know." Spectre replied. "When Gabriella did… whatever it is she did, she restored my world to its exact form and position as it had been when it was destroyed. Even the calendar date is the same. Most people would simply think they had a bad dream."

"And what about you? Now that your nightmare is over?" Taranee asked.

"My abilities have also returned to their previous state, yet I still remember all that happened, perhaps because I wasn't dead for as long. Physically I'm fine."

"And what about mentally. This must be quite the homecoming."

"It is… surreal." Spectre said, glancing around. "I never thought I would walk these streets again, but it is all too much right now. The emotions have not quite hit yet. And for that I am rather grateful."

"Why?"

"It would be unseemly for me to lose emotional control in front of another warrior." Spectre said.

"Well, at least tell me you feel good." Taranee said, rolling her eyes.

"Of course." Spectre said. "It is good to see my street again, my house, my…"

Suddenly Spectre went very quiet. Taranee followed the eyes etched on his mask towards a woman tending to the garden in front of her home. She glanced up and gave Spectre a warm smile, while giving Taranee a bit of a curious look. Spectre began walking towards her, slowly at first, and then faster and faster until he grabbed her and held her tightly in his arms. Taranee could tell the woman was surprised by the embrace, but returned it warmly. No words were spoken, none needed to be. Taranee kept her distance, not wanting to interfere with the happy reunion. A smile crept across her face, and for one brief moment, it all seemed worth it.

Traxlor

Four pairs of eyes stared up at the house in front of them. Behind the eyes, emotions raged like a storm, a mixture of joy laced with the dark clouds of mourning. The house was exactly as Will had remembered it. The hedge row, the two cars in the driveway, even the white painted walls. Traxlor had returned, and this ill-fated house had come with it.

"Home." Isabelle said. "We're finally home."

"It should be the same as before." Will said. "All the rooms, the furniture, everything should be exactly as it was."

"Not everything." Rupert said, fists clenched.

Will had thought very carefully about what she was going to say, but now that she stood next to Rupert and the kids, none of the words seemed to come. It took all of her strength to open her mouth.

"Rupert, I am so…"

"Don't." Rupert said. "I don't want to hear your apologies, or your reasoning. I get it Will, sometimes dreams don't come true. Sometimes there is no happy ending. And sometimes there's nothing anyone can say to change that."

During this time, Harper had gone and sat down on the front porch. He tested the wood firmly, and though it felt just like before, he could tell something wasn't right.

"Daddy, when does Mommy get home?" He asked, staring up at his father.

Will wanted to hide away and never return. She was sick of the memoires and the torturous decisions. She felt as if she had nothing left.

"He doesn't know?" She asked weakly.

"Deep down he does, but not on the surface." Rupert replied. "The same could be said for all of us."

Will wanted desperately to find some words of comfort or encouragement, but found none. For what seemed like eternity, she just stood there with the family, listening to the wind brush through the leaves of a nearby tree.

"Go to your family." Rupert said at last. "Tell them you love them. Return to your life, and leave us with what's left of ours."

With a heavy heart full of regrets, Will did as she was told, walking into the back yard and opening a fold. She was about to walk through, back to Heatherfield, when she turned around one last time. There, peering from around the side of the building was Isabelle. As Will watched, the young girl smiled. It was small and quivering, but it was there. Despite all that had happened, Will couldn't help but, for one brief moment, smile back.

Heatherfield

Hay Lin was surprised to find that she was not the first person in the Silver Dragon's basement. It was still fifteen minutes until the girls were supposed to meet, but Will was already sitting on one of the boxes, her head resting in her hands.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Hay Lin asked with a smile.

"Oh, hi Hay Lin." Will said absently.

"Well? What's on the mind of the savior of the universe?" Hay Lin asked, settling down next to her friend. "Or at least one of them."

"23." Will replied.

"23? What's that, Irma's math grade?" Hay Lin asked.

"No." Will replied sternly. "It's the percentage of worlds that didn't fight with us. The number of worlds who didn't let their knowledge flow into the Heart."

"Oh." Hay Lin said, connecting the dots. "But without any knowledge of those worlds in the Heart, Gabriella had nothing to bring them back with…"

"23 percent of all the worlds just gone." Will said. "I visited those worlds, I saw them. There was so much they could have been, and now… I tried Hay Lin, I really did."

"Of course you did, and you did a great job!" Hay Lin said, putting her arm around Will. "No one said this would be a happy ending for everyone."

"I know, but all those people! Gabriella… It should have been me! I was willing to make the sacrifice, I knew the risks! I would give anything to get them all back."

"Yeah, but you can't." Hay Lin said. "So let's focus on another number. 77. Because that's the percentage of worlds that you saved. None of those people would be here if it wasn't for you."

"If it wasn't for us." Taranee said, entering through a fold.

"All of us." Cornelia added, coming through a fold with Irma right behind.

"We're a team Will." Irma said. "We fight together, we win together, we mourn together."

"And you better believe we celebrate together." Hay Lin said with a smile, opening up a nearby mini-fridge she had moved down that morning.

She cracked open a case of root beer and distributed it to the girls, each one finding a section of wall to lean against.

"We've had some good times, haven't we?" Cornelia said. "Remember the first time you heard Napoleon talk? You should have seen the look on your faces."

"Our faces?" Irma said. "I still remember when you face planted into Meridian castle."

"Hey, it was our first day, cut me some slack." Cornelia fired back.

"Is that when you rescued me from Phobos?" Will asked.

"It was one of the times." Taranee replied with a smile.

"You know, I was certain none of you would ever come." Will said. "I thought I was going to have to rely on Caleb and Blunk."

"Ugh, a terrifying thought." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"A pretty good decision, coming to rescue you." Taranee said. "All things considered."

"Although I remember some of us were more excited about it then others." Irma added.

"What? It was picture day!" Cornelia said. "It felt like the only time all year we got to change clothes!"

"You know, it doesn't have to end." Will said. "We've probably still got lots of adventures ahead of us."

"Eh, we'll see." Hay Lin said. "I mean, be beat Death. Literal Death! Where are we going to go from there?"

"And we've got futures to think about." Taranee added. "Normal, real futures. I love saving worlds as much as the next girl, but I've got my education to think of."

"Yeah, me too." Irma said. "Those tests won't flunk themselves."

"Yeah, maybe we do need a break. A serious one this time." Will said.

"I think we've earned it." Hay Lin replied.

"But hey, it's been a fun ride, hasn't it?" Will asked.

The girls looked around the room, years of memories and experiences reflected in the faces of their friends. There were scars there too, deep ones, but they were hidden by smiles.

"Wouldn't change it for the world." Irma replied with a smile.

The girls talked, laughed and reminisced until the sun faded from the sky, and the moon lit up the night. In that pale light, Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin felt the years wash over them. Tonight, there were no monsters, no demons, no tyrants. Tonight only had good friends and tales to tell. Tonight was about the stories of yesterday, and the dreams of tomorrow. And whatever that next dawn brought, they would face it as they always had. Together.

**Author's Note**

235,322 words, 121 chapters and 4 years. Where has the time gone? And here we are now, at the end of it all. I guess the first thing to say is thank you. Thank you to all of you who have read or reviewed the story. Your support and passion kept me motivated throughout all 4 seasons, and for that I am eternally grateful. A special Thank You to the following people:

Spartangal22 (My first review)

chaotic9 (My first Favorite)

xNightLight13

Lexvan

4gnez

Heart of the Demons

t-rex989 (Gave me the idea for Powers)

CMR Rosa (Gave me the idea for Shadows)

LivingHopeSong

I'm sure there are many others deserving of my thanks, and I'm sorry if I didn't get to you. Once again, thank you to everyone, especially those who stuck around for all four seasons.

As for the future: I said at the beginning of this story that this would be my last W.I.T.C.H fanfic for a while, and possibly forever, and I'm sticking with that. I've tried to wrap up everything as nicely as I can, but of course the W.I.T.C.H story never truly ends, not as long as it has such a great community! My part in it, however, ends here. It's not because I don't enjoy writing these stories, I do, but I want to try something different. Right now that means writing my own original novel. I will put out an epilogue soon, which will see the girls around twenty years (or so) in the future.

If you have any other comments or questions about the stories, or anything you'd like to ask me, please send me a message, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Even though I won't be posting, I'll keep checking the site. Thank you from the bottom of my Heart for four amazing years! I wouldn't change it for the world!

-HeartofMeridian


	29. Epilogue

Epilogue

Heatherfield

Hay Lin nervously tapped her fingers upon the leg of her pants as she waited for the light to turn green. She knew she had no reason to be nervous, but he fingers tapped away anyways. Struggling to calm herself, she strode purposefully past manicured lawns and white picket fences, until she saw a familiar tuft of red hair poking up through the petunias. Taking a deep breath, Hay Lin placed a smile on her face and headed up the driveway, and past the mailbox labeled Olsen.

"Will?" She asked, knowing perfectly well whom she was addressing.

Will glanced up and a smile spread across her face. She placed her trowel on the ground, careful not to disturb any of the plants, and gave Hay Lin a warm, soil filled embrace. Hay Lin was careful not to press to hard against the large lump in Will's stomach.

"Hay Lin! It's so good to see you again!" Will said. "Matt, come here and say hi to an old friend."

"Hey, Hay Lin!" Matt said, poking his head out from inside the garage. "Good to see you. How've you been?"

The three exchanged pleasantries and were soon sitting down with a cold drink to fight the warm summer breeze. Will rested her drink on her bulging stomach, a trick she had picked up when carrying her first child.

"Mikey's at school right now." Will explained, leaning back in her chair. "First month of grade 2, always stressful, but I'll tell him you said hi."

"He's doing well then?" Hay Lin said. "No…?"

"No powers?" Matt asked. "No, looks like those didn't get passed on. And wasn't Alex already showing signs by this age?"

"Yeah, but magic runs in Cornelia's family. Just look at Lillian. Guess it makes sense her daughter would inherit it too." Hay Lin said.

Hay Lin took a long drink from her class, feeling the liquid cool her body and her mind.

"Man, what's it been now? Twenty years?" Will asked.

"To the day." Hay Lin replied. "Twenty years ago today we transformed for the first time."

"Hard to believe it." Matt said. "You were just the cute girl in my history class back then Will."

"Hey, time flies." Will said with a smile.

"It wasn't the only thing. You ever feel like transforming again?" Hay Lin asked. "Feeling the wind beneath your wings?"

"I miss some of it." Will said with a shrug. "But I'm in no hurry to replay some of those fights. I'm happy where I am. Besides, we're not needed right now. When was the last time we all fought together?"

"Too long ago." Hay Lin said, staring into her drink.

Will sighed, cursing her careless words.

"It's been rough, hasn't it?" Will said. "Ever since Eric…"

"We were something special." Hay Lin said. "I don't want to lose that. Not like I lost…"

"We're not losing it!" Will replied quickly. "Outside of Matt and Mikey, there's nobody more important to me then the four of you girls. We all went our separate ways, that's all."

Hay Lin had no argument, just as she hadn't had one last year on this day, or the year before.

"I appreciate what you do." Will said. "I know running the Dragon is a full time job, but we need you to keep us together. You making these rounds every year means more then you'll ever know.

Hay Lin smiled just briefly, but long enough for Will to know that Hay Lin cared.

"How many more months?" Hay Lin asked, pointing to Will's stomach.

"3 and a half." Will said, beaming.

"And I just finished un-baby proofing the house." Matt moaned.

The three continued to share drinks and stories until the sky turned crimson above them, courtesy of the setting sun.

"I better go." Hay Lin said at last. "I've still got three more stops to make."

"That you do." Will said. "Say hi to them all for me."

"Will do." Hay Lin replied. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Irma? She the only one I'm not sure where to find."

"No idea, sorry." Will replied.

Hay Lin thanked her, and with a wave Will watched her friend disappear from sight.

Kandrakar

"Didn't these used to have drapes?" Hay Lin asked.

"Yes, but since they didn't really do anything useful, we removed them." Taranee said.

"Practical as always." Hay Lin said.

"Actually, it was Tibor's idea. Turns out they were a devil to clean." Taranee said, a twinkle in her eye.

Hay Lin had to marvel at the way Taranee walked through the halls of Kandrakar with ease, the traditional white cloak brushing against her legs. Kandrakar was like a second home for Hay Lin, but it was quickly becoming a first home for Taranee.

"How's Himerish doing?" Hay Lin asked.

"As well as can be expected." Taranee said. "The years have not been kind to him. He'd be covered in grey hair except that he doesn't have any to begin with."

As the pair rounded a corner, a young elder whom Hay Lin did not recognize gave Taranee a smile

"Good luck ma'am." The elder said before scurrying off.

Hay Lin watched the young man bolt around the corner and disappear from view.

"Good luck?" Hay Lin repeated. "What does that mean."

"Well…" Taranee said sheepishly. "There are rumors that Himerish's health will continue to fade, and that he will no longer be able to fill his position. If that happens, there's another rumor that I… Well…"

"You'd have a chance at being Oracle?" Hay Lin said, rather surprised.

"There're just rumors." Taranee said with a knowing smile. "Either way, the things I've learned here over the past ten years are enough to keep people talking about me."

The pair finally reentered the council room, completing the impromptu circuit of the fortress.

"I'm afraid I should be going." Hay Lin said. "Oh, would you happen to know where Irma is? Did you send her off on another mission?"

"No, we haven't sent her anywhere for a while." Taranee said. "She still swings by for a meal or a place to sleep every now and then, but that's it."

"Hmmm, well, I guess there is one more place I have to look…" Hay Lin said. "Thanks anyways Taranee."

"Your welcome." Taranee replied. "And it was good seeing you again! Take care of yourself!"

"Hey, I always do." Hay Lin said with a smile before disappearing into a fold.

Meridian

The halls of Meridian castle were abundant with life. Kitchen workers scurried back and forth, councilmen and woman sprinted down corridors, papers fluttering in their hands and guards watched with bemused interest. Hay Lin didn't recognize most of the faces, and she gave a wave and a smile to the ones she did, such as Vathek. She kept moving quickly through the hallways until she found the three people she was looking for.

"Hay Lin! Good to see you!" Cornelia said, giving Hay Lin a warm hug. "How is everyone? The Earth hasn't been destroyed in my absence?"

"Not yet." Hay Lin said with a smile. "Give us another ten years maybe…"

As Hay Lin left the embrace, she felt a tug on her sleeve from below. She looked down to see a small girl with long blond hair beaming up at her.

"Aunt Hay Lin! Aunt Hay Lin!" the girl said. "I'm going to practice my powers! Want to watch?"

"Aunt Hay Lin has got a lot to do today." Caleb said, ruffling the little girls hair playfully. "Go on and start your training. Grandpa's waiting for you."

"How's she doing?" Hay Lin asked as the girl grudgingly entered the nearby room.

"Alex? She's good. We think." Cornelia said.

"None of us have a lot of experience with children." Caleb explained. "Especially children who start shooting energy out of their hands at the age of 8."

"But we're doing what we can." Cornelia said with a smile. "She's a smart kid, she's getting the hand of it faster then we ever did."

"I'm afraid Elyon's in a meeting right now." Caleb said. "She probably won't be done until you're gone."

"Oh. That's okay." Hay Lin said, obviously disappointed.

"I wouldn't take it personally." Cornelia said. "It seems like all she does these days are meetings and proposals. I've barely seen her all week."

"I guess that's better then how it used to be." Hay Lin said. "Ever miss the days of the rebellion Caleb?"

"Not a bit." Caleb replied with a smile. "Fighting with you girls on the other hand…"

"Yeah, it would be nice to use my powers for something other then landscaping." Cornelia said. "But I guess I shouldn't complain. This is way better then anything I thought we'd get after being Guardians."

"Are we last on your list?" Caleb asked.

"No, I still need to find Irma." Hay Lin said. "Would you happen to know…?"

"Yeah, I think she came by a couple hours ago." Caleb said. "Check the balcony, I think she might be there with Walli."

"Ok, I will." Hay Lin said. "But first, tell me all of your latest stories…"

* * *

Far away from the bustle of the castle interior, high up on tallest tower, Irma and Walli stood and stared out at the land below them. The setting sun basked the growing city in an orange glow as it disappeared over the distant forest.

"How long will you be staying this time?" Walli asked.

"Don't know." Irma replied. "It's been quiet in Kandrakar lately. Not much to do if you're an ex-guardian. Unless you're into politics, I suppose."

"You could return to Heatherfield." Walli suggested.

"You trying to get rid of me?" Irma asked.

"Not at all." Walli said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "But you seem restless. There was a time when clearing my mind required a trip back home."

Irma smiled, remembering times past before turning her attention back to the present.

"How could I return to an ordinary human life after all I've seen and done? There's nothing for me on Earth." Irma said, before adding under her breath, "Trust me, I've looked."

"Then it would appear you will be staying here for a while." Walli said. "But I sense that is not an appealing thought either."

Irma took a deep breath and looked past the city of Meridian. For as far as the eye could see the forests stretched into the distance, running up and around the faraway mountains.

"Have you ever thought of just leaving?" Irma said. "The universe hasn't faced a major threat in a decade. They don't need any of us. No one really needs us."

"Leave? Where?" Walli asked.

"I don't know, anywhere? Everywhere. Just travelling the universe. All the different worlds, the people, there's so much to see! I don't want to let that pass me by."

"I don't think it's as easy as that." Walli said. "What would you eat? Where would you sleep?"

"Whatever and wherever I could." Irma said. "Work for my food, sleep under the stars if need be. Just… be truly free."

"There you are!" a voice said from behind, interrupting Irma's thoughts.

The pair spun to see Hay Lin standing in the doorway.

"I've been looking all over for you!" Hay Lin said, clearly out of breath after her climb to the top of the tower.

"Oh, sorry Hay Lin. I forgot that was today." Irma said sheepishly. "How's it going?"

"Oh, same old, same old." Hay Lin said, giving her friend a hug. "What are you two doing up here all alone?"

"It would seem we're contemplating the future." Walli said, his expression unchanging.

"Aww, how cute." Hay Lin said with a laugh.

"Shut up, both of you." Irma said, giving Walli a playful glare. "We're just finishing a conversation. Tell you what, give us five minutes and we'll give you our full attention. Deal?"

"Fine." Hay Lin said. "I'll be waiting in the cafeteria. Don't be late."

Irma gave her friend a quick wave before turning back to the sunset.

"Truly free, eh?" Walli said. "Where would we go first?"

"Well, I'd have to get a map or something from Kandrakar and… wait a minute, we?" Irma said, turning to Walli.

"As you said, the universe has enjoyed a decade of peace, Meridian included. I'm not needed here." Walli said. "And you've got that look in your eye that usually leads to trouble. You're going to need someone to bail you out."

A smile spread across Irma's face, to the extent that she had to look at her feet to hide it.

"Just the two of us, eh?" Irma said.

"And the universe, of course." Walli replied.

Irma looked back at the city below, but the grin remained, as did the spark in her eye.

"That's right. We've got a whole universe waiting for us." She said. "We've got our minds, our bodies and an open road ahead. And the best thing of all?"

Irma felt the wind push back her hair, as if daring her to challenge it, or anything else that tried to stop her.

"We've got a whole lot of tomorrows."


End file.
